Labyrinth of Unfortunates- The 63rd Hunger Games SYOT
by TheOtherLachance
Summary: !SYOT CLOSED! It's Head Gamemaker Sullius' last year before he retires from the industry... But he wants to go out with a bang. A deep, twisting labyrinth built miles underground, and the mysterious pit-dwellers... How long will the tributes survive in this never ending pit of hell?
1. Preparation And Tribute Form

**HEAD GAMEMAKER SULLIUS PEPPER**

A vast underground labyrinth.

That's what I commissioned, and that's certainly what has been created- it's rather a work of art, if I do say so myself. Looking at these wondrous passageways, and these huge caverns filled with who knows what… It runs so very deep underground. We've been preparing this particular arena for years. It takes a long time to dig deep enough to give the tributes enough ground to cover, and, of course, to breed some of the things that grow down there… Hmm, I wonder what those monsters are doing right now? Those pit-dwellers? Climbing all over each other, with those claws grabbing at the air, needing fresh blood…

Turning around to my fellow Gamemakers, I smile at the looks of fear on their faces. It's an unpleasant place to be, this arena… I made them come out here, just to see them squirm. Sullius is mad, that's what they say… But doesn't madness create an even better Games for everyone? I must say, everyone loves a madman. The tributes who I have control of in this place are… unfortunate. That's what they are, my little unfortunates.

"It's perfect!" I call out to the group of people around me, and clap my hands together with an eager smile. Only a week until the Reaping, and we still have to add the finishing touches! "No time to waste!" Bustling towards one of the workers in charge of breeding the pit dwellers, I raise my eyebrows at him and purse my lips. "Are the pit-dwellers… are they awake? Are they thirsty? Are they hungry?"

I'm just far too excited. But why shouldn't I be? These will be my last Games- President Snow has tired of my methods, I think. That boy Falion Marsey will be taking my place after this Games, to give the Hunger Games a newer, fresher feel. That means that Snow will have me assassinated, like he always does with old Gamemakers… But I'll go out with a bang. These tributes… these unfortunate souls… will never know what hit them.

These Games will be a Games to remember, I promise you that!

**GAMEMAKER FALION MARSEY**

If I didn't know better, I'd say Sullius is a raving madman. He is a raving madman, obviously, but some people, like myself, choose not to mention it. The last person to accuse him of insanity was his wife, and we only ever found bits of her. President Snow has grown tired of him. Although the Capitol loves him, according to Snow his "barbaric methods" are becoming distasteful. Personally, I think they were distasteful from the beginning- there never was a man like Sullius to make me ill.

From what I've seen of his plans for these tributes (or UNFORTUNATES as he calls them now…), this will be a Games to remember. I hope I can help the poor souls from the Districts a little bit, because the things in this place would make anyone sick. The pit-dwellers… The thought of those beasts makes me want to destroy Sullius here right now. How can one person have so few morals as to want to see that done to a person? It's like Titus again… My Gods, if only I had the courage to put a gun to his head and put the sick old bastard out of his misery. These poor children… Whoever they are, I will try and help them. As the deputy head Gamemaker, my authority is second only to Sullius'… I will be taking over next year… People say I'm too soft. These Games are necessary to keep the Districts under control, of course, but…

But Sullius is trying to talk to me now. I must listen; although he's a monster, I must obey him for now. But soon, he will die… And I hope he rots.

"Welcome to the 63rd Annual Hunger Games." I mutter to myself, as I follow him further into the twisted depths of the labyrinth.

**This is a SYOT… The forms are here. District 12 (male and female) are both already reserved for a friend, apologies. PM them to me! I will not accept any given through reviews (Sorry, guys, just following the rules :D), so please PM them to me. First come first serve! **

**FORMS**

**Name:**

**Age: **

**District:**

**Alliance (Careers or otherwise): **

**Personality (be detailed!): **

**Appearance: **

**Romance?: **

**Family/Friends:**

**Reaping Reaction + Reaped/Volunteered?:**

**Weapon of Choice:**

**Strategy:**

**3 Strengths:**

**3 Weaknesses: **

**Thank you… And may the odds be ever in your favour! **

**Lachance**


	2. District 1 Reaping

**EMMELINE ANNE OLIVER, DISTRICT 1 FEMALE**

My eyes snap open. For a second I feel my entire body freeze as memories of my nightmares fill me, but shake my head. It wasn't my fault, I remind myself, as I push my long auburn hair out of my eyes. I'm not your stereotype District 1 girl- I'm not blonde bimbo who dreams of some sort of fairytale marriage. Nor am I the other kind of girl here, who spends all their time dreaming of going into the Games. I'm just Lina, the girl most people like because I like them. What's wrong with liking people? Ever since my twin sister died last year, I've had nightmares every night. But I try and get on with life. Nothing can bring my poor Lucy back, so I might as well try to get through life.

Yawning, I sit up and stretch my arms out. Then, I kick my soft blanket onto the floor and get up, pulling my dressing gown on. I'm fourteen years old and since my family is middle class, not rich but not really poor either, I don't have to take tesserae. Since I'm only in the Reaping bowl three times, being fourteen, I'm not too worried. Although there is a gnawing anxiety biting away at me- what if I do get picked? It's not a pleasant thing to imagine, being Reaped. Going into the Hunger Games for a girl like me would be certain death. I don't think I could ever bring myself to kill somebody… Since I'm from District 1, a Career district, that's not what most would imagine. But the idea of killing somebody? I hate it.

"Emmeline, get down here!"

Oh joy. So my mother's up already? My sister died in a gang fight last year- there was a gang of those thuggish training centre boys having a fight last year, and her and I were just standing there on the side of the street… She got dragged in and died. I survived- it drove me crazy for a while. Survivor's guilt is what they call it… Well my parents didn't help. They loved her a great deal, because she was perfect. A golden girl- I still miss her, even though they cared about her more than they did me. I loved her so much, and her me. We were totally inseparable. And after a year apart, I still feel like a part of me is gone.

"It's Lina…" I mutter to myself, before opening the door to my bedroom and walking downstairs. My mother and father are already in the kitchen; my mother is at the stove heating up our breakfast, and my father is moodily sipping a cup of coffee. Although he turns his head to look at me as I enter through the door, he does not say anything. I don't think he's spoken to me since my sister died. My mother's exactly the opposite though.

"Emmeline Anne Oliver, what do you look like!" she scoffs, marching straight up to me and beginning to pick at my hair and shoulders. I bat her hands away and step backwards, hovering between the door and them. They don't hit me or anything, nothing like that, but there's just a certain sense of neglect about the two of them. I hate it. And you know what else I hate, especially about my mother? My name is LINA, not Emmy, not Emmeline… Just Lina. She insists on calling me my full name, and I'm certain it's just to annoy me. "The Reaping is in an hour, and you aren't even dressed or washed yet! Do you want to be on live television looking like a scruffy little guttersnipe? Get upstairs and get ready, now."

And with a fierce glare she sends me on my way. I don't even bother to argue. She's upset about my sister, I understand, but who matters more? The dead kid or the one who's still alive? I loved my sister, I still do so much… Feeling tears prick at my eyes, I go upstairs and head straight into the bathroom where I do my mother's bidding and get washed and ready. Then, I grab my reaping outfit and pull it on, before heading back downstairs. My stomach is growling with hunger, but my mother waves me out of the door. Looking at the clock, I realise why. There's only five minutes until it starts! But there's something I have to get first…

I sprint back up to my room, and fumble around under my mattress before I find it. It's my sister's knife- she went to the training academy, and it was her most prized possession. I kept it, just to remind me of her. I run downstairs again, and, pulling the door open, I sprint out into the street and almost fall over a group of kids hanging around outside. Catching my balance at the last minute, I let out an embarrassed laugh as they smirk at me, before walking towards the town centre.

My heart is still thudding- what if I get picked? My legs feel like jelly and my cheeks are still flushed red from earlier… Oh God. Shutting my eyes, I stand still for a second, composing myself, before continuing. There are loads of kids here! And anyway, all of the trained kids will be lining up to volunteer, so even if I do get chosen, there's nothing to worry about. I clutch the handle of my sister's knife in my pocket, and think of her. She wouldn't want me to be afraid, and there's nothing to be scared of. She had courage, so I can have courage too.

Even if I'm absolutely terrified right now.

Then, I let out a breath of relief. Over on the other side of the town square, I can see my friends smiling and waving at me, beckoning me over. I walk over to them, and we all discuss simple things: boys, friends, parents, irritating younger siblings… Usual things, like it was an ordinary day. But when the Mayor comes up onto the stage with the town escort and tells us to be ready, we all quieten and I feel a twinge of fear again. What if I get picked? Oh God, what if I get picked?

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" the escort, Esmeralda, trills. She's a plump, rather glamorous lady with jewelled spectacles and iron grey curls. I have to admit she does make me laugh, and she's not as horrible as some of those other district escorts, like the ones in 5 and 8. "Welcome to the 74th Annual Hunger Games! And may the Odds be Ever in Your Favour… Are you r-r-r-r-Ready to be Reaped?!"

She then begins to talk about the Dark Days, and I attempt to listen politely. We've all heard it plenty of times before, but she must feel quite threatened up there. Even if she is ridiculous, etiquette is important. I spiral off into a daydream, and I'm not paying attention when she moves over to the Reaping balls.

"Emmeline Oliver!"

"It's Lina…" I mutter. Then, my head snaps to attention. Wait, what? My heart begins to speed up, and I hear my breathing increase in speed. What?! There… this must be some sort of mistake… It's just a nightmare! I'm going to wake up and I'll be back at home, and the Reaping won't even have been… But everyone's staring at me. Everyone is staring at me… It's me. I'm the tribute for District 1. Is anybody going to volunteer? No, everything is completely silent. Feeling tears pricking at my eyes, I bite my lip as I head up towards the stage. I'm shaking, and as I stand there with the whole District's eyes on me, I let out a strangled sob.

I'm going to die! This is a Career district for God's sake, why is nobody volunteering? But Esmeralda's talons clasp around my head and I stare wildly at her, biting my lip. I will not cry onstage… But I can feel the tears building up in my eyes, so I wipe them fiercely away with the back of my hand.

"And now for the boys!"

Oh God. Who will be my District partner?

XxXxXxX

**DAMASCUS SLEIK, DISTRICT 1 MALE**

Oh my God… My head is literally throbbing. I never sleep well the night before the Reaping, but last night really was something something special. I must've been up tossing and turning until half past three in the morning, and as my eyes open, I feel a crushing pain.

"Christ…" with a moan, I bring both hands up to rub my temples. I sit up and check my reflection in the cracked mirror above my head, and that makes me even more agitated. There are ginormous black rings around my eyes, and my chestnut hair is not just wavy today… It's a ball of fluff around my head. Swearing under my breath, I check my watch and notice the time… I've got half an hour to get ready. That's not so bad I suppose, but I'm not sure I can bring myself to get out of bed. It's so warm…

After a few more moments of dozing, I kick off my covers and suppress the urge to grab them and yank them back up to my chin. I know I can't, since it's the Reaping and I must be there, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. In public I try and act as emotionless and cold as I can, like all the other District 1 boys, but sometimes it's hard to stop myself throttling them all. In most ways I'm just a regular District 1 kid- I'm an only child, with a loving mother and father. They always wanted the best for me. They care about me, and I them. However in District 1, it seems to be some sort of crime to love your parents.

"Damascus, honey! Get up, the Reaping's in an hour." I hear my mother calling up the stairs, and with a yawn, I get up. My head begins to spin and I have to steady myself- I've never been good without sleep, and today I feel like I might just keel over at random. Wouldn't that be a sight to see, me having a little nap during the Reaping. It's actually a rather tempting thought now I think about it. Rubbing sleep dust from my eyes, I go and wash and dress. Then, I walk down the stairs to find my mother standing at the bottom, a nervous look on her face. She grabs me in a quick hug and plants a kiss on my cheek, before holding me at arm's length.

"You look terrible, sweetie," she says, anxiously, trying to get me to look her in the eyes. My head just won't stop spinning… "You didn't sleep well, I'm guessing?"

"I'm fine." I reply, smiling reassuringly at her. She gives me another rather nervous look, before smiling back. She always gets worried before I head out to the town square, since I'm her only son. My dad wished me farewell last night, since he goes out to work quite early in the mornings. He's got a big job in a diamond mining company, and he's usually out working. But that doesn't matter, because he comes back every evening and tells me stories. Someday, he says, he wants me to work in the business. But I don't know if I do; I'd rather do something original and interesting with my life… However, I don't really know what. Since I'm fifteen already, I'm leaving the decision rather late. Who knows? Maybe I will end up in some boring office job.

After eating a quick breakfast, I head out into the street to meet my friends. I'm not fantastically popular although neither am I a loner- I've got my group of friends, and that's it. We've trained together since we were little children at the Career academy; we're the minority at training who actually AREN'T bloodthirsty maniacs. To be fair we're still a pretty colourful bunch, but we're friendly enough. I spot my best friend Silver's mane of jet black hair, and walk across the street towards him to find him trying to chat up two generic District 1 blondes. It doesn't look like he's doing too well; that's a surprise, since he usually gets all the girls, being very handsome and one of the leading guys to volunteer. I guess it's his mindset that stops him getting ladies today.

"…and so I threw that axe so hard it split the dummy in two!" he boasts. I barely suppress a grin, and I have to remind myself that I have to be emotionless in public. My father has never said it, but he's an important man and I, his son, has to keep up the family honour. And if that means not taking the piss out of my best friend publicly, then so be it. I must appear cold and calculating… even though I'm anything but either of those things.

"Yeah sure, Silver," one of the girls says, and I feel my heart leap. It's Kira, who I used to have a huge crush on when I was younger! And Silver told her about it! Now this is an embarrassing situation to be in… Trying to duck my head to get away from them, I grimace as I hear Silver shout my name.

"Damascus! C'mere, it's me!"

Clenching my fists, I walk back over to them, trying to keep a cool head. I will not go red, I will not go red… Kira and her friend are both openly staring at me, eyebrows raised. I can see they are both trying to stifle laughter, and I feel a slight miserable feeling bubbling up. I hate it when people laugh at me. Now it doesn't make me angry or anything, or violent… But it really upsets me. Things that other people can just shake off, I can't. I'll go home and think about it.

"Ready to be r-r-r-r-Reaped?!" Silver says, in a poor imitation of Esmeralda, our district escort. The blonde girl who isn't Kira giggles appreciatively, and a rather satisfied look comes onto my friend's face. I give him a small smile, before trying to communicate with my eyes that I want to get out of here. He doesn't seem to get the message though, and engages me in a conversation about Head Gamemaker Sullius' ridiculous moustache before I manage to punch him in the arm enough times to give him the message that I want to go. Dragging him towards the town square by the scruff of his neck, when we eventually get there and start lining up to be registered, we both burst out laughing.

"You know I was doing that on purpose, right?" he teases, punching me affectionately on the shoulder. "You were so red. By the way, you look really tired. In fact, you look kinda like a panda."

"Thanks, Silver."

"You're welcome."

My head begins to spin again and I have to be quiet. Why did I not sleep last night? I feel like I'm going to die- I'm so ridiculously tired… Even the prick of pain as the blood is taken from my finger to register me does not jolt me awake, and I stumble towards the 15 year old's section rather than walk. When I eventually get there, I try and keep moving so not to fall asleep… But I'm so tired…

It's so warm here. And the sound of Esmeralda, the district escort, talking is so soothing… With a long yawn, I feel myself beginning to fall asleep on my feet.

"Damascus Sleik!"

"Huhhhuh, whafuck?" I mumble, as I am snapped awake. Somebody is shaking my shoulder and, sleepily, I bat their hand away. But then, I feel a hand on either shoulder and realise that I'm being marched up to the stage… Oh God. They called out my name! My name! A feeling of panic runs through me, and I turn around, frenzied, unsure of what to do. The whole district is staring at me- some are laughing, most look sombre. Picking through the crowd, I eventually find my parents' faces and stare at them imploringly. But they can't do anything. My mother is crying, and her face is buried in my father's shoulder… No.

Mounting the stage, I stand shakily there, unsure of what to do. Esmeralda bustles over to me and wraps an arm around my back, pulling me over to where the other tribute is standing. What's her name? She's a bit shorter than me, with auburn hair and a friendly face… She looks about fourteen. Not the usual District 1 blonde bombshell, but she's pretty in her own way. She's shaking, and there's a look of numb terror on her face. I feel a pang of sympathy for her: I don't recognise her from Training, so she doesn't know how to use a weapon. Poor girl.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you… Emmeline Anne Oliver and Damascus Sleik!"

I just stare at her. Numb.

**There's your first chapter! Hope you like Emmeline and Damascus- I still need a district 2 female, and I can't continue until I get one. I have the male, just need a female. And so on. **

**SPACES STILL LEFT**

**District 2 Female**

**District 3 Female**

**District 4 Female**

**Both District 5**

**Both District 6**

**Both District 7**

**District 8 male**

**Both District 9**

**Both District 10**

**Both District 11**

**Submit please, guys!**


	3. District 2 Reaping

**Apologies for the mistake in the last chapter where I put the 74th Hunger Games by accident- thanks to Ozymandeos for pointing that out :)**

**JAMES "WATCHER" AMMOLITE, DISTRICT 2 MALE**

I never sleep properly before Reaping day. It's not because I'm worried- why would somebody like myself be scared to go into the Hunger Games? I'd miss my family, but… Well, if I get Reaped, then I wouldn't feel too bad about it. You know why I wouldn't? Because I'd be able to get revenge. Sweet, sweet revenge. For years I've sat on my ass and watched the Games, like some imbecile. If I don't get chosen, then that's just fine. If I do? Even better. But I'm not volunteering.

Getting up from my position on the floor, I run my hands over my shaved head. I got it shaved a couple of years ago, because it got in the way of my kukri when I fought. A kukri is my favourite weapon: it's sort of like a machete, but slightly curved, and can be used as a tool or a weapon. A useful little thing, and it's what I've always trained with. My brother trained too. My older brother, that is, my younger brother Medal doesn't go to the training academy. But my older brother did… If my name is called today, then it won't be the first time. When I was fourteen, three long, painful years ago, my name was called out on Reaping Day. I was just a kid, and I was scared… But when I got up onto the stage my older brother volunteered. He went, by choice, into the Hunger Games… As a Career, of course. His name was Eddie. But you know why I want revenge? Because one day, out of nowhere, all the other Careers just turned on him and butchered him like a pig.

I prod Medal, who is still asleep, in the small of the back with my toe and glance down at him. People call me Watcher, because last year, I got this surgery on my eyes. My parents are quite rich, like most people in this district, and we managed to get enough money to get my pupil's surgically removed. My whole eye is milky white now… people say it's unnerving, because you can never tell when I'm looking at you. Personally, I quite like it.

"Medal, get up." I say quietly, before walking towards the cracked wash basin in the corner of our room. I wash myself quickly, before getting dressed in my Reaping outfit. It's neater than most of my usual clothes, but it's not exactly what you'd call smart. Some kids wear suits- I just wear a shirt and pants without any holes.

Walking downstairs, I notice my dad, Ezekiel, eating a breakfast of grainy porridge and some sort of lumpy fruit compote. He smiles genially at me as I sit down, and I do not return it. He's always exasperated with me, because apparently "I don't have a sense of humour". Well, that's certainly true. What need have I for laughter? He's plainly imbecilic, and thinks he's so funny.

"Morning, son. Who's ready for a good old Reaping?" he says in his irritating voice. I don't know what he's waiting for, because there's some sort of hesitantly expectant look on his face. I just stare at him blankly. Is he trying to make me smile? This is the Hunger Games, for God's sake, not some kind of joke.

I make a non-commital noise, before doling myself out a portion of the porridge. As I eat it, I try and ignore his constant talking- I hate it when people talk too much. Can't he get the hint that I'm not listening? Do I look like I'm listening to him prattle on? No. So why does he continue?

Eventually, my brother comes down the stairs, followed by my mother. She doesn't talk much- she was upset by my older brother's death, and has always kept to herself since. She's become a lot more affectionate towards me and Medal, though, because she's scared to loose us. Oddly, I'm not really… well, scared to die. I don't see why people get scared of it; how bad can it be, really? Eternal sleep? Or maybe I'd even get to see Eddie again, in which case I'd rather be dead than alive. I never got to thank him properly.

"You alright, James?" my mother says, giving me a quick one armed hug. I return it, before nodding at her.

"Yes. And yourself?"

She nods slowly, before grabbing herself a bowl of porridge, as well as spooning out a portion for my brother. My father talks constantly over breakfast, and I can't help but give my mother continously significant looks. Couldn't she tell him to shut up? But she just sits there blithely, sipping a lukewarm cup of coffee and absentmindedly working through some of her papers for work. She works for one of the big quarries, and works through costs and payments, and who is going to be fired and who is going to be kept on. My father works in that particular quarry, so we never have to worry about him getting fired. I wish she'd just get rid of him- he's an embarrassment.

After finishing breakfast, I get up and leave the house. I'm supposed to be meeting my best friend Fable and, of course, my girlfriend Eliza Gemini. How on earth did I get a girlfriend, are you wondering? Well, she's just like me. Her older brother died in a previous Games, and we can be sympathetic with each other. She's my other half truly- quiet, serious, and sweet quite a lot of the time. I love her deeply; although I may seem heartless, she is my true weakness. I care about her more than anything in the world.

I walk across the street to her house and knock on the door, only to be answered by her mother who gives me a rather suspicious look. She's very protective of her daughter, and she's never liked me that much- like most people in the District, my eyes unnerve her. She calls Eliza, who immediately comes downstairs and takes my hand. We still have to walk down the street to Fable's house before we head to the Reaping.

"You nervous?" I ask her shortly, as we walk hand in hand towards Fable's. She glances at me, her dark blue eyes reflecting the early morning sun.

"Not particularly." she replies, and a small smile graces her lips. "You?"

"Nope."

And that's as far as our conversation goes. We both like it that way- there's no need to say anything more. When Fable comes out, we exchange pleasantries quickly, before walking towards the town square where everyone else is headed. When we get there, we register ourselves and go to stand with our age groups. Eliza is a year younger than Fable and myself and a girl, so I kiss her good luck before we split off. The district escort comes onto the stage and does her usual speech- we all chat amongst ourselves throughout. Nobody cares or is interested- why should we be interested to hear something we listen to every single year?

"Let's start with the boys, and mix it up a little, shall we?" the woman says, with a conspiritorial giggle. Nobody returns it, and a rather flustered look comes onto her face before she prances over to the Reaping bowl. For a few moments she stands poised, her hand twisting above the names, before it dives in. I watch emotionlessly, waiting… waiting… She pulls out a small piece of paper from the Reaping ball and slowly opens it, wanting to build up tension. Then, in a high, clear voice she says,

"James Ammolite!"

Silence. So it's me, is it? I can't help but feel a twinge of amusement- the odds really aren't in my favour, are they? I must be the only person ever to have been called out at the Reaping twice. Not even once- twice. Might be some sort of new record. Walking up to the stage slowly, I feel a twinge of happiness hit me. I can get my revenge! The Careers won't even know what hit them… A smile comes onto my face, the first in weeks. As the escort asks for volunteers, several people put up their hands… I just stare at them, with my pupiless eyes. And their hands go right back down. I'm going into the Hunger Games, like it or not.

**NORELLE WILKNER, DISTRICT 2 FEMALE**

My mother wants me to go into the Hunger Games. She herself was a victor, as was her mother before her… So I suppose she wants the line to be continued. Perhaps to become the sort of Amazon warriors of District 2? We're already a pretty renowned family, as my grandmother is a notorious personality. The victor of the seventh Hunger Games, she won by running around in a bloodthirsty craze until everyone was dead. It was possibly one of the shortest Hunger Games ever, and my mother has made me watch it at least a thousand times. I suppose it's important, if I want to win these Games. You see, I'm planning to volunteer. And I shall win.

I wake up to the feeling of a warm weight on my chest, and smile as I hear the familiar sound of purring. My cat Grey- my mother loves cats, and keeps about five of them. Ever since my father stopped being so loving with her, she's always been looking for a means of affection, and since neither myself, my older sister Becky, or my twin younger brothers Xander and Xavier are particularly useful for that… she has cats.

Getting out of bed, I yawn and walk over to my dressing table and begin to apply a little makeup. I brush out my amber hair, and then begin to get dressed- as I know I'm volunteering today, I might as well try to look my best. My mother has been pressuring me to volunteer for years, and now, aged 17, I have finally agreed. It's my turn to bring pride to our district; personally, I'd like to wait another year, but it doesn't do to upset my mother. She won for a reason, let's say, and the last person to irritate her ended up getting tossed out of a window.

And my father? He's just the same, except he cares about me a little more. He's been my personal trainer since I was five years old, and dedicates practically all his time to making me the best I can be. He doesn't even sleep in the same bed as my mother anymore, because he spends almost all night in his office working out new training regimes for me. In case you're wondering yes, I am very good at what I do. In fact, I'd say that these Hunger Games are going to be pretty easy. There's nobody at the Training Academy here in District 2 who can beat me, and I very highly doubt that there will be anyone else who will be able to.

I walk downstairs and grab a mug of tea, before walking back up towards my mother's room. She has a small zen garden in her room where she spends most of her time relaxing, and I imagine she'd appreciate it if I brought her some tea. Green tea is her favourite- personally, I think it tastes rather bland. Opening the door as quietly as I can, I walk in and hand her the steaming mug. She nods her thanks, before blowing on it and taking a sip.

"You aren't training today?" she says in her slightly harsh voice. For a second I think, before slowly shaking my head.

"No, mother. The Reaping's in half an hour and I…" I swallow, and look away from her. She'll be disappointed if I tell her I slept in- she's not going to be happy with me at all. An hour of training could mean the difference between life and death and I've wasted it. I hang my head in shame and she tuts at me, taking another gulp of the tea.

"When I was your age, I trained for twelve hours a day," she says grumpily, stroking one of the many cats twining around her room. The creature gives me an evil look and I return it- although I love my cat Grey, I dislike all of my mother's. They aren't nearly as friendly. "You're too spoiled. Do you really think you're going to win if you sleep in all the time? Well do you?"

"No, mother. Sorry, mother."

A slightly satisfied look comes onto her face, and she pats my shoulder affectionately. A hint of a smile comes onto her face, and I can see the pride in her eyes as she looks me up and down.

"My little girl," she says fondly, squeezing my shoulder before letting go, and stroking another one of her cats. I feel a pang in my heart- I swear she cares more about those rotten mammals than she does me. But then that isn't much of a surprise; I suppose her Games screwed her up a bit. I'm not going to be as weak as her, though, I'm not going to let these Games damage me. I'm my own person, and I'm not going to feel guilty at all for bringing my District pride. No guilt whatsoever. Even if I have to slaughter the male tribute, I don't care. Anything to make my mother proud. "You are going to win these Games aren't you, sweetheart?"

"Of course." I reply, before getting up and moving out of the room. I almost smash into my younger brothers, who are playing with some marbles. Grabbing hold of the banister to regain my balance, I turn to them with a snarl and put my hands on my hips. I swear my mother does not bother with them at all! "Grow up!" I hiss, before marching downstairs. Becky and my father are both downstairs discussing something. However, as I enter the room, they both turn to me with looks of pride on their faces. Becky stands up and walks over to me, giving me a big hug. She's nineteen, two years older than me, so she doesn't have to worry about being Reaped anymore.

"I can't believe you're volunteering!" she smiles, and holds me at arm's length. "My baby sister all grown up, right?" she turns around to my dad, who smirks and comes to embrace me too.

"Good luck," he says, ruffling my hair. "You know what to do. You can win these Games easily- just do everything I've taught you, remember it all, and you'll be just fine. You'll make both myself and your mother proud- and the whole District. That's what you want, isn't it?"

"Yes, dad."

And with that, I set off towards the town square and the Reaping. I walk with my friends all the way there, and when we split up to get registered, I do not find them again. That doesn't matter- they were all extremely excited about the fact that I'm going to volunteer, and all wished me luck. I feel a bubbling of excitement in my gut as I wait, practically rigid, for the Reaping to start. The district escort comes ontstage and does her usual speech, and I'm practically riveted. Then, when she turns to call out the boy's names, I watch as James "Watcher" Ammolite goes up. He's rather renowned in our District because of his weird eye. So he's going to be my district partner, is he? Well I don't know him aside from reputation, so I wont have any difficulty killing him, I suppose… Perhaps I should try and be friendly, just for a while at least. To make sure he trusts me so I can kill him more easily.

"Now for the girls…" the escort walks over to the girl's Reaping ball and rummages in it, before smirking and calling out the name, "Andrea S-"

"I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!" I shriek as loud as I can, barging towards the stage. The crowd parts to let me through, and as I climb up next to the escort and James, I fake smile at all the cameras I see. Then, turning to the escort, I say with a proud smile, "I'm Norelle Wilkner, and I'm seventeen years old. And I'm going to win these Games!"

The crowd applaudes me, and then I go to shake hands with James. His grip is cold and iron hard, and he stares deep into my eyes with those terrifying milky orbs… What a weirdo. But I'm in the Games. Finally, I have a chance to make my family, and District 2 proud.

Finally.

**Well that's District 2 done… **

**What I have left: **

**Both District 5**

**Both District 6**

**Both District 7**

**Male District 8**

**Both District 9**

**Both District 10**

**Both District 11**

**Spots are going, so if you want one, please let me know! District 3 and 4 are sorted, so they'll be up soon...**


	4. District 3 Reaping

**PHOX ASTRIDEI, DISTRICT 3 FEMALE**

The Hunger Games. Hah.

I don't look like the sort of girl who could possibly murder. I'm small, slight, innocent face… Think of it like this. Imagine you find a cute little cupcake on the table- it's pink, with swirled icing on top, and rainbow sprinkles. It smells delicious, but the second you take a bite… You fall down dead to the floor. That's me. People make the mistake of trusting me and then… and then an accident happens. I'm always looked aside because I'm just a little girl. I couldn't possibly hurt anyone, right?

My mother died giving birth to me- I was ripped from her guts. I shouldn't have been born, that's what somebody was trying to tell the world. Perhaps if they'd left me, a mewling infant, inside my mother… maybe then, accidents wouldn't have happened, and some people would still be happy. People say I'm a life ruiner- that's certainly true. But I have no life, so why should anyone else be allowed one? My father died too, when I was seven, after inhaling poisonous fumes. He cared about me, I suppose, although he rarely showed it. A few months after my mother died, he took a new wife who killed herself two years after my younger brother Copper was born.

What a delightful family I have.

So now I live with Copper, my younger brother who's twelve. I'm surprised they haven't carted us off to the Community Home yet, but then again, they're pretty lazy about stuff like that in District 3. You get orphans wandering the streets, and kids living in abandoned warehouses all on their own. That's what Copper and I do- we've raised ourselves. Neither of us go to school since nobody likes us there- we spend all day training on our own. Using kitchen knives and makeshift spears, we are vaguely able warriors and now, we're ready to volunteer. And we will, we've promised each other.

I get up from the chair where I was sleeping, and pull on clothes, a feeling of excitement bubbling up within me. It's Reaping Day- today is the day I quit the disgusting streets of this District, and go into the Hunger Games. I will win, and then fame and riches abound will come to me. But for now, I've got to get some last minute training done since it's still rather early in the morning. Grabbing a comb, I brush my brown hair until it's reasonably neat, before picking a spear out of my pile of weapons. Hopefully the weapons in the Games will be more high tech, because we've had to make do with household things, but even if they aren't, I'll still be alright. I've never really killed before, but I've hurt people and I didn't feel bad about that. There won't be much difference, I'm sure.

Pulling the spear over my shoulder, I throw at the wall. It flies in and leaves a rather impressive dent in the metal, and I walk over to retrieve it. Although I'll be smaller and a lot less muscular than some of the other tributes, I have the advatage of bloodlust. Because once I'm in a rage, it's difficult to pull me out of it. I throw again a few more times until the point actually pierces the metal, before giving up and eating my breakfast: a lump of cheese and a slice of bread. Copper is still dozing peacefully in his chair opposite the fire, and I grin at his sleeping form. He's my best friend as well as my brother.

"Up you get, Cop." I say, throwing my shoe at him across the room. It strikes him a glancing blow across the head and he opens his eyes blearily, rubbing the spot my shoe collided with, before giving a bark of laughter when he realises what happened. Stretching his arms, he yawns lazily before kicking off his rough woollen blanket and making his way across the room towards me. He takes his share of food and we begin to eat breakfast in silence, staring into the flickering flames of the fire. I'm so excited about the Reaping later- waiting for it is going to be excruciating. Maybe I should get a few more hours sleep if I'm not going to train anymore?

"I can't believe it's the Reaping later!" I say to Copper, smiling widely as I settle back in my chair, looking at the ceiling. "We'll be going to the Capitol, with all the buildings and the clothes and the-" he's laughing at me. A scowl comes onto my face quickly as I feel my body overcome with the familiar rage. I HATE being laughed at. Getting up rapidly, I advance on him and grab him by the throat, practically hoisting him out of his seat. Bringing my face as close as I can to his own, I whisper, "What's so funny?"

For a second he just stares at me and I see a twinge of fear on his face, before he rolls his eyes and bats my hand away. I drop him, realising what I'd done, and go back to my own seat. Sometimes I get overcome with… with weird feelings that make me want to hurt people. Like my mind is taken over with some sort of raw fury that makes me want to hit, to punch, to maim. I don't know what it is- people used to say I have "issues", but I don't really understand what that is. I always took it as an insult, and beat them up.

We spend the rest of the morning doing last minute training, before washing ourselves in the rather dirty basin in the corner of the room where we stay alone (an abandoned attic to one of the old factories nobody uses) and cleaning ourselves up in preparation for the Reaping. Then, we walk through the door and onto the street and join the flood of people walking towards the town centre where the Reaping is being held. Most people look pretty nervous- I'm one of the only people with a look of excitement on my face. After being registered, I join the other fourteen year old girls while Copper goes to join the boys and wait, practically shivering in anticipation. Our district escort Quinine comes onto the stage, strutting like a peacock, and begins to talk about the Dark Days. He has one of the most animated voices I've ever heard, and the feeling of wanting to maim comes up in my head again… I force myself, with quite some difficulty, not to do anything about it.

Then, the time comes for him to pick names out of the Reaping bowl. He brings out a scrap of paper and reads it quickly, before clearing his throat, shutting his eyes and opening his mouth to read out the name… "Alici-"

"I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!" I shout as loud as I can, and every eye turns my way. With a triumphant smile, I run up to the stage and climb onto it without even bothering with the stairs and stand beside Quinine, trying not to burst out laughing with excitement. There is a slightly bemused look on his face before he smiles a hugely fake smile, and says in a bright voice,

"Well… isn't this… erm… what's your name, dear?"

"Phox Astridei."

And with that, after making a rather rude joke about me flashing my pants at the camera when I clambered insanely onto the stage, I stand smugly and wait for Copper to come up and join me.

**MATHIS ELDER, DISTRICT 3 MALE **

"Finished!" I say with a proud smile, as I put the finishing touch to my alarm clock. Because I can never sleep the night before Reaping day I just don't bother anymore- I just stay up working on something. When I'm older I'd like to be an inventor, or perhaps an engineer, because I'm very good at putting things together. I'm no looker, nor am I a master of weaponry at all; I just like building things and going to school. And collecting things of course- the waste from the factories really is very interesting. And shiny, too… but mostly interesting.

The alarm clock goes off with a loud ding, and I feel very satisfied as I press the button to stop it jangling. I've been trying to perfect it for days and days and finally it's worked… I'm not too worried about the Reaping. Since I'm middle class for District 3, and I didn't take tessera, the odds are certainly more in my favour than some. I wouldn't be very good in the Games… But I don't need to worry about that, because it's highly unlikely I'm going to be chosen. If you work out the odds, I'm about one in nine hundred or so, if you calculate how many entries I have with… Oh it's complicated. It works out just fine in my head, but when it comes to writing it down, it's a lot more difficult.

I check the time on my newly completed alarm clock- it's ten. Three hours till the Reaping… I'd better get ready, then, because that means I can take my time and have a bath. Stripping off completely, I get in a tub full of lukewarm water and wash myself, even washing my hair. It's very long, and actually reaches down to my eyes and shoulders- I've never really bothered cutting it. My older sister Trace calls it a mop, which I personally think is quite rude. Getting out and drying my body, I pull on my Reaping outfit and attempt to brush my hair to neatness… failing dismally.

"For God's sake, Mathis, would you like me to try and sort out your hair?" I hear a teasing voice behind me and turn around to see Trace standing in the doorway to my room, grinning widely. She's nineteen so is no longer eligible for the Games, so I suppose she's got reason to smile. Walking over to me, she pulls the brush from my hand and begins trying to tame my "mop", commenting about how much she wants to cut it all the while. When she eventually finishes, she pulls me into a quick hug. "Good luck for the Games later eh, little brother? Don't you worry about a thing, they won't pick you…" then, she winks and leans down to touch the wooden floorboards. "Touch wood."

I laugh and follow her out of my bedroom downstairs, where my family is having breakfast. Everyone turns to greet me- I suppose they're all feeling affectionate since I'm the only kid in our family who is between twelve and eighteen. I'm fourteen, actually, although some people say I look a little bit younger. My brother Tonic is eleven, so he'll be up for the Reaping next year.

"I finished my alarm clock last night." I say with a grin, and my parents both laugh and congratulate me, rolling their eyes at each other. My nerdiness is something of a family joke, but I don't mind. We all care about each other, and that's all that matters, right?

"Good for you, Math…" my father says, ruffling my hair. A groan of frustration from Trace at my newly messed up hair tells me that it's time to head out to the Reaping, and I run out the door as quickly as I can as my sister moves to lecture my father on my hair.

As I step out the door I am met by my two best friends: Regan and Kaitlyn, both girls. Some people make fun of me for not hanging out with guys, but I don't really care. I'm not gay or anything, though- currently, I'm rather certain I might just be asexual. I'm not really attracted to anything; although I love Regan and Kaitlyn as friends. They both link up with me the second I set foot outside, and grin at me from either side.

"Morning, Mathis. Done my homework for me today?" Kaitlyn jokes, winking at me before we begin to walk down the street. I chortle and shake my head.

"Nope. Ever considered doing it yourself? Happy Reaping, by the way."

"And May the Odds be EVER in your Favour." finishes Regan, and we all crack up laughing. Some people are giving us weird looks for laughing on such a sombre occasion, but since we're all scared out of our wits, the best way to not have a mental breakdown in the street is to make a joke out of it all. And anyway, our district escort, Quinine, has such a ridiculous accent, he brightens up the day for us all. Just listening to him speak makes everything a lot more humourous.

We get to the town square and line up to be registered- I can't help but wince as the needle goes into my finger to take blood. Then, I hug my two best friends goodbye and wish them good luck, before heading towards the boys side. The escort comes onto stage, and begins talking about the Dark Days as usual- it's vaguely uninteresting, since we've heard it all before. Nevertheless, I listen politely and try not to appear too distracted- I suppose it must be quite nerve-wracking to be up there in front of all these people who want you dead.

When he goes to announce the girls, something rare happens. We actually have a volunteer, and my heart sinks when I see who it is. It's Phox, one of the resident psychos. She appears all sweet and innocent, and when I first saw her I felt a need to protect her… But then she just does something totally crazy and out of the blue. She pushed Regan off the roof of a warehouse last year, when we were all thirteen, almost breaking her back. She's one person I wouldn't want to go into the Hunger Games with, since she almost completely insane and possibly one of the most terrifying people I have ever had the misfortune to meet.

"Now for the boys!"

I'm guessing her younger brother Copper will volunteer. He's not quite as mental, but he's certainly getting there. He punched me in the face a few months ago, and the bruise didn't go away for about three weeks. He's only twelve, and he's already larger and more intimidating than some of the sixteen year olds. Quinine is opening the piece of paper dramatically as usual, and despite myself I can't help but clench my wrists and shut my eyes, fearful…

Please don't be me… Please don't be me… Please don't be me…

"Mathis Elder!"

My eyes snap open. For a second I don't quite believe what's happening… Then it hits me like a ton of bricks. It was my name that was called. I'm going… I'm going into the Hunger Games. But perhaps not! Maybe Copper will volunteer, like I'd thought, and I won't have to go in at all? All is not lost! Praying to God that he will volunteer, I walk as slowly as I can up to the stage and stand there, seeking him out in the crowd whilst Quinine calls for volunteers… But there's a look of terror on his face. My eyes open wide as the time is up and I am officially the male tribute for District 3…

He didn't volunteer.

He didn't volunteer.

Shit. I am going to die.

**SPACES ARE GOING QUICKLY, PEOPLE! GET ONE WHILE YOU CAN! ;) **

**District 5 both tributes**

**District 6 both tributes**

**District 7 male**

**District 9 both tributes**

**District 10 both tributes**

**District 11 male**


	5. District 4 Reaping

**BEFORE YOU ASK, SCARLETT WAS REQUESTED BY MPARTS99 AND I COULDN'T GET ANY OTHER D4 FEMALES :D BECAUSE CHILD OF SITHIS READERS MAY BE… UM… SLIGHTLY FAMILIAR WITH HER…**

**TOM "TEETH" MAREN, DISTRICT 4 MALE**

There is a reason I've been nicknamed Teeth.

My family is rich, there's no denying that- my parents were both Victors. I've always had enough, and I've generally had whatever I wanted. So after seeing Enobaria with her sharpened teeth, I said I wanted fangs like that… And now I do. They only help my training because, if needs be, I can rip throats out. Since we're a Career district and most are busily trying to look intimidating, people are in awe of me. Absolute awe- not just because I'm a victor's son, but I'm pretty fantastic in my own right… Hah, alright, perhaps that sounds narcissistic. But I'm young, I'm strong and I'm beautiful- who says I shouldn't be proud of it?

I smile as I wake up on Reaping Morning- I'm fourteen now, and I've decided to volunteer. It'll be easy for me to win; if I must, I'll just get into all the Career girl's pants and make them want me. Almost all girls in District 4 want me- even though they all play hard to get, well some of them do, I can basically have whoever I want. Sure, some of the chicks who are REALLY into the Hunger Games are too busy to be into me, but who cares? If they're going to go and die in the Games, then there's no point me getting to know them, is there? There was this one girl who volunteered last year, who I was kind of into. She called me a "Sharp Tooth Prick", and went and won the Hunger Games. Yeah, she WON. Stupid bitch…

Sitting up, I stretch regally and walk over to my bedside table. My older brother Adrian shaved my hair into a mohawk last year, and I can't thank him enough. It means that my hair stays out of the way of my sword, without being too short… When I was younger and had it in some crappy crew cut, no girl's would come near me. Which is stupid, because my face is pretty irresistible too. But I guess chicks like hair.

"Honey, this mirror isn't big enough for the two of us…" I hear the irritating voice of my older sister, Thalassa, and side step to my right. She's just as proud of her appearance as me, if not more so- she shoves me out of the way, rolling her eyes. "For God's sake, Tom, maybe if you actually had a girlfriend I wouldn't mind so much. But I'd currently call your relationship…" Thalassa laughs, and tosses her blonde hair out of her eyes. "Double babysitting."

Yep, you heard it. Double. I've got two girlfriends- twins, actually. They're both pretty fantastic, but I just can't choose between them. So I figure I'll have both. Sure they're a little bit older than me… well, five years… but how much is that in the long run? When I'm eighteen, they'll be twenty… um… twenty five? No, that's not right… Twenty four? Okay, I don't care about maths. Why should I, the young, handsome warrior who is going to win this year's Hunger Games, worry about little matters like maths or history?

She finishes sorting herself out, before going up to her room to get dressed. She's seventeen so she's still eligible for the Reaping, but she's not interested. She says 'Why should I volunteer and get myself butchered when there are a thousand other meatheads ready to do it for me?'. She's just pathetic because she can't find; Thalassa spends all her time in school. I don't see why, since she's not obliged to go, but she just does. What a weird girl.

I stand in front of the mirror for a few moments and tweak my hair a little, before grabbing my Reaping clothes off the dresser and pulling them on. Then, just to give myself some confindence, I grab my morning star and throw it at my target on the wall. It hits slightly off centre… Well, I'm nervous, alright? It's a bit difficult to throw sometimes and anyway, I wasn't ready.

After I'm done checking my appearance, I walk downstairs and grab a quick breakfast with my parents and siblings, before going out of the door to meet my friends. I've got my two wingmen- Alby Erickson, who is absolutely ginormous, and Newt Orion who is small. Thing is, I've got Alby around to intimidate people, and Newt to make me look better… Or does he make Alby look better or do I… I don't know. Point is, he's brainy too, and rich. So I keep him around.

"Hey!" I say as loudly as I can, and walk towards my boys. Alby smiles back and Newt looks a bit embarrassed… What's he looking embarrassed for? This street is just as much ours as anybody elses. Sure I am shouting a bit, but who cares? I can shout if I want. A tall, reasonably cute girl gives me a dirty look as she walks by, followed by her much cuter sister who looks about my age. I wink at the cuter sister who hisses at me before walking on a lot faster. Well somebody's a stuck up cow.

"Seriously, dude, you shouldn't go near the Coppercroft sisters. They're both crazy." Newt says, sticking his hands in his pockets and looking after them a little fervently. We watch their retreating behinds, before grinning at each other and walking in the vague Reaping direction.

Alby, still watching the girls ahead of us, says quietly, "I heard the older one, Babette, drinks blood. And the younger one, Scarlett? She killed a kitten. That's right- she killed a KITTEN. A little KITTEN." as if to demonstrate his point, my large friend claps his hands together and widens his eyes. The rest of the journey to the Town Centre is spent sizing up the girls around us, and me wondering about the Coppercroft girls. They're both hot… Like, almost as hot as my other girlfriends. Maybe I should start a harem?

The district escort Sugar, a disgustingly fat woman with jewels inlaid all over her body, steps up to the microphone with a cheery shout to shut us all up. You've got to love Sugar- she actually manages to be rather comedic, and since our district isn't particularly worried about the Reaping, the atmosphere tends to be quite light. She has got two pieces of perfumed tissue stuck up her nostrils to block out the smell of District 4 (the stench of salt, fish, and the sea), as do all of the other Capitol officials here. I guess they don't like the smell.

"People of District 4," she hugely over-says, waving her hands in the air and trying to suppress laughter. Sugar really doesn't take the whole thing seriously. "My name is Sugar, and I am your District Escort… Who is ready to be r-r-r-r-r-Reaped!?"

There are cheers and catcalls as she carries on, overpronouncing words and waving her hands about, strutting up and down the stage. When she eventually gets to the picking of the names, the atmosphere is stiff with excitement. I am going to volunteer- all of the guys here know I'm better than them, I'm definitely the best chance this district has of winning… Come on… come on… She pulls out a name from the Reaping ball and then says, at the top of her lungs in a highly musical tone, "Alby Erickson!"

"I volunteer as tribute!" I shout, and with a triumphant caw of laughter, make my way up to the stage. Sugar throws her arms out wide and waddles over towards me, slinging an arm around my shoulders and dragging me to the centre of the stage. There is a cheery smile on my face as she announces me to the crowd… Then I wait for the female who'll be coming with me. I sure hope she's hot and vulnerable. I like them that way.

**SCARLETT COPPERCROFT, DISTRICT 4 FEMALE**

I wake up on Reaping Day to find a heavy weight on my chest. Literally a heavy weight on my chest, and I can hear soft breathing… Opening my eyes very slowly, I find myself face to face with a sight out of my nightmares. A twisted face with grotesque features- a great, bulbous nose and blubbery lips, with hair like matted, mouldy straw and eyes the colour of cat crap… So my older sister decided to wake me up by sitting on me, did she?

"Babette, get the hell off." I moan, and she laughs childishly in response. Even though she's sixteen, she acts like a ten year old most of the time. What I said about her before isn't true- she's pretty, in a Lolita kind of way, although she doesn't look a thing like me. When I was younger she used to tell me I was adopted until I ran crying to my mother and she told me otherwise. To be fair I do look a lot more like our parents than Babette does, but I didn't think about that at the time.

"Come on, don't you wanna go to the Reaping?" Babette says, a grin on her face. She rolls off me and stands up, dusting herself down, and I notice that she's already fully dressed. I laugh and get up, rubbing my eyes with a sleepy smile on my face, before grabbing my own clothes and beginning to pull them on.

"Course I am, dumbass. In case you didn't remember, I'm volunteering this year. Uncle Pollux said I was ready, didn't he? Everyone knows that when it comes to knives, I'm the expert." I reply, pulling a dress over my head and wriggling into it. I don't like dresses at the best of times, but my Reaping one is particularly uncomfortable. My mother wore the dress when she was a kid for Reaping day, as did her mother before her. Babette refused point blank to wear it, so I got stuck with the stupid piece of fabric.

"If you say so, Scarlett, if you say so…" she says mysteriously, rummaging in her pocket and throwing me a small sugared roll. Biting into it, I pull a brush through my curly hair, wincing at every single knot. "Just play the cute little kid, and when it comes down to it, be a cute little PSYCHO kid."

"Yeah, sure."

We spend the next hour or so bantering, like usual. We're rather renowned in our District, us Coppercroft girls, and we don't really have any friends. Nobody likes us because we spend so much time preparing for the Games, but that's just because we want to win. We've got each other, anyway, and since we both get along very well, we don't need anyone else. People spread loads of rumours about us- ever since Babette drank some cranberry juice in public, everyone has decided she drinks blood. I kicked a little cat after it bit me about two years ago, and the rumour was started I killed it… Pretty amusing, although people tend to get kind of nasty because we're not… friendly. It's not jealousy or anything, it's just the fact we tend to be pretty rude to people. It's not even on purpose anymore.

Then, we go down to breakfast. Our step father Pollux is down there, talking animatedly to our younger brother Lukos, who is eleven. He's very into the whole idea of being Reaped- Pollux has trained him since he was tiny to be a fighter, and he's really good. Better than me, actually, since I started training when I was eight… Little bit embarrassing when your younger brother is better than you, especially when you've got a fearsome repuatation to uphold, but he hopefully won't try and volunteer until I've won this years games. How do I know I'm going to win? I don't. If I don't win I die, and I don't have to come home and face anybody. My repuatation will be shattered, sure, but I'll be dead so I won't know.

Its a win-win, really.

My mother gives me a long hug as I go out the door, and kisses the top of my head. She trained to enter the Games too, but never tried her luck; that's why she's keen for me and Babette to volunteer, because she knows the feeling of when you should have done something and you never did. Oddly, my mother's been a bit against me volunteering this year- she wants me to wait until I'm at least sixteen before I go into the Games. But I keep telling her- I'm totally ready. Because I'm small and slender and can't handle bigger weapons, only knives, I've got nothing to really improve on. So why not go in now, while I'm healthy and everyone's still afraid of me?

Before we go, I also say goodbye to Lukos. He comes and flings his arms around my neck, and makes me promise to come back. He makes me swear that I'll win, and that we can be like the next Cashmere and Gloss- I promise him again and again. It feels a bit bad since I'm honestly not sure I will be coming home, but I've lied to people before. However, I can't help but feel a few tears prickle at my eyes as I go through the front door with Babette, after giving Pollux a one-armed hug and promising to wave to him from the Chariots.

The second we step out of the door the persona is on. There is no cheery playfulness outside of our home- we both know that from years of practise. We keep deadpan faces and do not try to talk to anyone, and if somebody approaches us, we act aggressive. Hopefully that way, people will leave us alone. An odd looking boy shouting across the street to his friends winks at me, and I hiss at him; he recoils, slightly, before restarting his cocky persona and swaggering after us with his friends. I can feel his eyes on my rear, and try to restrain myself from killing him. It takes a lot of willpower not to turn around and wring his pathetic neck.

When we get to the town square, everyone stays away from us- I can't help but feel a glow of pride. People are this scared of me? That's good- maybe I'll actually be able to intimidate people in the Games, since I look like a young version of a district 1 airhead. Doubt it, actually, because my reputation took years to build up. When I was a kid, other children used to bully me because of my frizzy hair (that I have now very nearly tamed, although it does tend to go frizzy when I get anxious); I got pushed into the docks countless times. I'd go crying home to my family, and they told me to be strong and stick up for myself. So I do. The day I was told to be strong, I marched back to the docks, took my wooden bracelet back, and punched the kid who took it in the face. The sound of his cracking teeth still makes me smirk.

The district escort Sugar does her usual, extremely entertaining entrance, and I almost have to break my expressionless facade to laugh. She really knows how to make an occasion out of a killing fest, she really does… When it comes to the calling of the names, I feel a small wash of excitement coming over me. This is it, then… Looking behind me, I widen my eyes at Babette who nods back- we know how to communicate affection and excitement without actually smiling. It's great.

She calls up a boy, who is quickly volunteered for by the boy who winked at me earlier… Oh fantastic. So I'm going into the Games with him? Should be interesting… Not. Well, at least I'll enjoy killing him, if somebody else doesn't get to him first. Maybe I can tear his stupid, winking eyes out.

Then, it's time for the girls.

"Jemi-"

"I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!"

But it's not just me who shouts it. Another girl of about fifteen or perhaps sixteen years, with bulging muscles and a threatening face, stares at me and begins to push her way through the crowd towards me, a look of anger on her face. Slamming a couple of girls out of her way, she eventually stands in front of me and balls her fists, squaring up to me.

"Take it back, Coppercroft." she hisses bringing a fist back in threat to punch. None of the Peacekeepers are moving- I guess they want a show then? A catfight? Sure. I'd be glad to fight this stupid bitch, even if she is about half my size… But I'll have to be cunning about it, and use her size against her. Because in straight forward combat, hand to hand… I don't stand a chance.

"You take it back." I say scornfully, preparing myself to duck a punch. And then, when it comes, I sidestep and step behind her, kneeing her in the back. She lets out a startled oof, before turning around to punch me again and I duck… and notice one of the fist sized rocks decorating the edge of the townsquare. Grabbing one in my right hand, I hide it before swishing around her again, letting her lumber to the left… Then, I bring the rock down on her head with a sickening crunch. She falls to the ground with a squeal of pain and lies there, clutching the bloody wound on her head, as I begin to walk slowly up to the stage. The boy is smirking- I guess he enjoyed that little girl fight. Shooting him a withering look, I stand beside him as the crowd roars.

**Don't worry, I'd like to say here and now Scarlett is NOT winning- she was basically a gapfiller. She has a part in the story, but just because I created her does not mean she will win. She won't. **

**Now review, or Sugar will come and sit on you ;) **

**ONLY TRIBUTES LEFT**

**District 5 Male (need him before I do next chapter…)**

**District 6 Male**

**District 7 Male**

**District 10 Male**


	6. District 5 Reaping

**JULIA WREVE, DISTRICT 5 FEMALE**

I wake up next to my mother. For a second I'm confused- why did I crawl into my mother's bed? I haven't done that since I was about six years old and had endless, tormenting nightmares… Oh yes. It's Reaping Day. Just thinking about it makes my heart skip a beat with fear- I had nightmares about getting picked last night. Honestly, I can't imagine what would happen if I got chosen; I'd die painfully, probably. But that's not going to happen, because I'm not going to get picked. I haven't been chosen for the last three years, and I won't be picked in this one… Tonight I'll come home and pity some poor girl who has been sent to be slaughtered. But it won't be me.

With a small yawn, I roll out of bed carefully so not to awaken my mother, and pick my way across the room to where my dresser is. We rent a room in one of the large communal homes in District 5- with just the two of us, we don't need much space. Honestly, I don't know what happened to my father. He just isn't here, and neither myself or my mother particularly care to talk about him.

Grabbing a brush, I tug it through my hair and glance towards where my mother is still asleep on the bed, and smile affectionately. Since there's only the two of us, we rely on each other a great deal- neither can survive without the other. Even when I grow up and move out, I'll bring her with me. If I got Reaped, I don't know what she'd do. After a few moments of me looking at her, she opens her eyes groggily, and props herself up on her elbows to smile sleepily at me.

"Good morning, sweetheart." she says in a slightly hoarse voice, before getting out of bed and grabbing two slightly grubby cups from the sideboard. She makes two cups of tea and we sit together and drink them, just in silence. She knows I'm worried about the Reaping, but I suppose she doesn't want to discuss it. It worries her too.

As I pull on my clothes, she puts on our crackly old radio, and we listen to the sounds of the Capitol people celebrating the Reaping. Feeling a jolt in my stomach, my ears prick up and I listen to the people. A slightly disgusted feeling rises up in me, and I have to stop myself grabbing the radio and smashing it to pieces. I hate how people can celebrate the deaths of twenty three children, like it's some kind of national holiday. Oh isn't it fantastic? Come watch people die! It's the little twelve year olds who really get me. They're not even teenagers, and they're being butchered for entertainment. It's absolutely sick- if I went into the arena, I'd want to protect them.

"It makes me so sad that older tributes will kill little twelve year olds," I say to my mother offhandedly, as I pull on my Reaping clothes and smooth back my hair into a ponytail. "It's basically murder."

My mother takes a sharp intake of breath, and I turn to look at her. There's a slightly nervous look on her face as she looks around the room, biting her lip. Then, she turns back to me rather frantically. "Watch out, Julia!" she groans, shaking her head. "You can't say things like that. You never know where is bugged. Let's not discuss this again, okay, dear?"

For a second I just stare at her, before nodding with a slightly beaten up sigh. I've got a lot of… well… thoughts about the Games, but there's no way I can really let them out. District 5, where you can suffer in silence. I hope it's not another twelve year old going in from our District, because I really won't be able to watch then. Just watching the look of terror on their face as a huge Career runs towards them with a sharp weapon and bloodthirsty intentions… Sickening. And Capitol people actually enjoy it.

After a few moments I hear a knock at the door and go and answer it- it's my best friend Hayley. She has to be one of the only other people in the whole district who shares the same views as me- well, she voices them at least. She smiles as she comes in and hugs me, before turning to my mother and smiling at her.

"Good morning, Mrs Wreve." she says cheerily, and my mother can't help but smile. That's the great thing with Hayley; she always manages to bring a smile to people's faces. Most people like her, because you can't… not. There's just something about her positive presence that makes me feel a whole lot less nervous about the Reaping.

The three of us have a small breakfast together, before Hayley and I set out for the town square and the Reaping. She keeps up a chatter all the way there and I try to smile, attempting to not faint from fear. What if it's me? What if it's some poor, defenceless person? I don't know if I can stand to watch another child die in these disgusting Games… what if it's Hayley or me? As we get to the square, she quietens and we go to get registered. The district escort Calvin is a total… ugh, he's vile. Some of the looks he gives the female tributes… Even the twelve and thirteen year olds! There've been rumours that, in return for favours in the arena, he gets tributes to sleep with him. Foul. If I get picked, then I'm not accepting anything from him.

"Welcome, District 5." he says in an unpleasant tone, his eyes firmly fixed on the female side of the audience. His eyes are roving over us rather unpleasantly, and they linger on me for a few seconds. He licks his lips; dear God! Why can't somebody just push him off the stage? This whole thing is revolting. He begins to talk about the Dark Days, eyes firmly fixed on an eighteen year old near the front's breasts, before finally pulling a name out of the female Reaping bowl. I shut my eyes and wait, dreading… dreading…

"Julia Wreve!"

I feel everyone's eyes upon me. My breathing quickens and I feel tears beginning to spurt out of my eyes as I stand, totally frozen, not wanting to move. I'm not going anywhere! There's some sort of mistake, please let this be some sort of mistake!

"NO!"

Hearing a shout from the audience I turn wildly around to see my mother being held back by Peacekeepers, waving her arms desperately and trying to get to me, screaming my name over and over… There's a Peacekeeper telling her to be quiet, shouting at her to shut up but she continues… He shoots a warning shot into the air but she ignores it, and I shriek at her to stop… please stop… And then, she is forced to her knees and a Peacekeeper puts a bullet in her head.

"NO!" I cry out in agony, shock and horror as I watch my mother bleeding out on the floor at my feet, the life slowly fading from her eyes… Somebody prods me in the back with a gun and I am forced to the stage, tears dripping down my face as I stare, numbly, at my mother dying behind me. As I get onto stage I begin to shake and put my head in my hands, my body wracked with sobs. Why… MUMMY! She's not dead, she's not dead! Why won't they fix her!? They will fix her, this isn't real! It's all a nightmare… it's all a nightmare…

But as I feel Calvin's hand envelop mine and he holds it up to the emotionless crowd I realise that it's true.

This is no nightmare.

**RILEY DAVIS, DISTRICT 5 MALE**

Waking up is always irritating to me. There are two reasons to this: number one is that I have to face a day in the hellhole commonly known as District 5. And number two? I have to wake up from the night before's lovely dream. Heh, well most wouldn't call it a lovely dream, as such… Most would call it a rather disgusting dream. I'm a fifteen year old boy, I can't help being just a little bit perverted. Most girls don't like me for that reason, because I never know what to say to them without it being rather sick or pervy. Like I'll try to get to second base on a first date… The only one who puts up with it is my girlfriend Zoe. She keeps me in my place, and I like that. I think she likes me too, sometimes.

Kicking off my bedcovers, I yawn and smile at the dream from the night before. Pretty blonde… I'll make sure to remember that one. Perhaps, if I try as hard as I can, I can have that dream again. No, I need to get myself into day mode- I'm Riley Davis, not perverted, a normal kid. Then I remember what day it is, and feel my stomach take a little leap. It's Reaping Day… Damn. I doubt I'll get picked, since I'm just not the kind to be chosen for something like that. But what would I do if I go into the Games?

As I take a bath I think about that question, before deciding on trying to get in with the Careers. That way I'd have protection, and I wouldn't have to worry about starving or anything like that… I spend some time dozing, before combing my shoulder length, curly brown hair and getting changed into my Reaping Clothes. They aren't a great deal different from my every day clothes, apart from the fact they are not patched or slightly too small or too large. My father doesn't have much money, being a regular factory worker, but we do alright. However, being a couple of males, we don't spend too much money on clothing.

What weapon would I use?

Walking into the kitchen, I pick up a normal kitchen knife off the table and play with it between my fingers. It doesn't feel exactly natural- I'm not a born fighter or anything like that. I'm smart, I'm nimble and I'm fast- hopefully, if anything does happen, that'll mean I can outrun any predators… Be them man or beast. That actually sounds kind of poetic; I'll have to tell Zoe that when I go and see her. She lives in town near the town centre, so I'll pick her up on the way there. Maybe I'll take her out some place after the Reaping- we can go and get some sweets or maybe a little cake from the bakery. Yes, that'd be nice.

I daydream for a few moments, before making myself breakfast- a toasted cheese sandwich. I eat it as I step out the door and begin to walk down the street, and I catch some jealous looks from some of the kids who live in the poorer areas. Immediately I feel a little bit self concious, so I stuff the half eaten sandwich in my bag for later. It makes me feel a bit guilty to eat in front of people who can't afford to.

When I finally reach Zoe's house, I find that she's already outside, a slightly irritated look on her face. I grin at her and she scowls back, before rolling her eyes and walking towards me.

"Bloody hell, you're late!" she scolds, crossing her arms. "I thought the Reaping had started already!"

"I love the dress. Very sexy." I reply, ignoring her last comment. She stares at me for a few seconds, as if confused, and then a look of annoyance comes onto her face. This is how we work- she makes a rude comment to me, I try and distract her, then she attempts to pick a fight. Then, usually, we go and get a drink. We have a simple yet, at the same time, complicated relationship.

"Seriously, Riley, you need to learn to listen," Zoe shoots back, before a slightly sheepish smile comes onto her face. "You ready to go to the Reaping? I've been up all night thinking about it. Aren't you a little worried, even a little, that you're going to get picked?"

"Nope. You need to learn to not stress about things like that, babe," taking her hand, we begin to walk towards the square where most have already congregated. "Anyway, if you go into the Games, I'll go with you. It'll be really… kinky, don't you think?"

She hits me playfully, before we line up to get registered. I wince with pain as the Capitol official pricks my finger, before heading towards where the boys are, but not before kissing Zoe goodbye. I even manage to cop a feel, and she barely even notices. Or maybe she does- however, it is rather rare for her to actually allow me to touch her. Guess she's feeling sentimental, since it's Reaping Day…

The district escort, Calvin, comes onstage and immediately starts perving on all of the girls. His eyes linger on Zoe and I can't help but ball my fists in irritation- anger is bubbling up in me and all I want to do is go and punch him in the face. However, I know that if I hit him I will get shot. Defend my girlfriend… get shot… I'm going to stay still for now. Just… just for now. Calvin is really staring at this girl near the front, and he actually… Oh my God, he's licking his lips. Now that… that is rather disgusting. And that's me talking!

He announces the girl- it's the girl who he licked his lips at earlier. Oh God… It's difficult to stop myself shouting out my sympathy. No doubt she's going to be his latest conquest, especially since he already showed an interest in her… But she's not moving. Somebody is shouting her name and Peacekeepers are moving around… what's going on? Turning my head towards the back, my eyes widen in horror and I feel my heart skip a beat. A woman, clearly the girl's mother, is struggling to get to her daughter, screaming her name over and over again… The Peacekeeper's are restraining her… and… Oh My God.

Oh my God.

They've shot her in the head. I clench my fists and look away, as a feeling of sorrow comes over me. That poor, poor girl… They shot her mother, and she's going into the Hunger Games to die? They're practically dragging her up to the stage now, and she's shaking and crying. All the Careers must think she's a total meal. Bile comes into my throat as I watch her shuddering, and as Calvin announces the boys, I'm not even listening. My eyes are firmly on her, and sympathy is rushing through me.

"Riley Davis!" he shouts. I don't even register it at first- I'm too busy watching her. That poor, poor girl who is now sobbing. Calvin has his hand in hers and is leering down at her. It's vile, it's foul, it's so DAMN WRONG! "Riley Davis?" it's only then that I realise that my name is being called. My heart freezes. It's… it's me. It's me. No. My head begins to spin and I stare, in horror, at the stage. A path of people has been cleared for me to walk down… Shakily, I try and take a step forward to find my whole body is shaking. Spinning to the right, I crash into the crowd and fall to the floor. I have fainted.

As I lose consciousness, I realise how much the other districts must be laughing at us right now.

I come too as I hear the roaring of the crowd. I am lying on the stage, and the girl who's mother was killed is looking at me with a vague pity… We are the tributes. We are the tributes of District 5.

And there is a high likelihood we are going to die.

No.

**All tributes are now taken! May put District 6 up later tonight, since it's only half seven-ish for me. **


	7. District 6 Reaping

**APOLOGIES, BUT REAPINGS WILL BE SLIGHTLY SHORTER FROM NOW ON, JUST BECAUSE I'D LIKE TO GET TO THE GAMES FASTER AND I CAN POST THESE IN PAIRS.**

**CORA COOPER, DISTRICT 6 FEMALE**

I wake up as a train speeds past my window. For a few moments I lie still, listening to the sound of the train chugging away into the distance, and wonder where it came from. District 8, carrying fabrics and clothes? District 12, carrying coal? Since two or three trains come every hour, it could be either. Tributes take a train to the Capitol although I'm sure I haven't slept in long enough to miss the Reaping. Twisting my head to the right I check out my alarm clock; I've got an hour and a half, so I'm doing just fine. Gala, my best friend (who is the most excitable person you could ever meet) would have come and jumped on me if I'd slept in any longer. Somehow, she always seems to be able to get into my house even when nobody lets her in.

I suspect she might have had a key forged.

With a yawn I kick the covers back and get up, walking over to the small, cracked mirror on my wall and fluff up my short, curly black hair. Even though it only reaches just below my ears, it still manages to look messy- I don't even know how it's possible. Giving myself a slightly despairing look, I grab a comb and do my best to tame it, before grabbing my Reaping clothes and pulling them on. Then, just as I'm pulling on my shirt, my door bangs open and I hear the familiar sound of Gala.

"Hello District 6! Are you ready for the event of the year… THE REAPING?!" With a groan, I roll my eyes and turn round to see my best friend standing framed in the doorway, grinning widely. She has to be the only person in the world who manages to keep up her craziness all year round, even on Reaping Day. I can recall a memorable time when, one bitter cold Winter morning, she turned up to school in her pyjamas with a tie over the top. The memory of that still makes me grin.

"Actually, I'd rather stay in bed." I reply, flopping down onto my mattress and lying there for a few moments. Then with a short laugh, I get up and straighten my slightly rumpled clothes. Her brown hair is immaculate as ever- how can she manage to be so hyperactive and still manage to look as good as she does? It's very irritating. At least she's not popular- she's pretty and funny and if she wasn't my best friend, I think I might just have to hate her. But you just can't hate Gala- she doesn't register hate. When I was younger I was extremely overweight, and I got bullied badly for it. She's been my friend since we first started school and she dumped a pot of water on my head, like any four year old would.

"How can you want to stay in bed? Aren't you SO excited, that you just want to go and get some plastic surgery to enhance your enormous eyes?" she says, in her idea of a Capitol accent. Just because mocking the ridiculous Capitol people makes everything seem a lot less terrifying, we both do it a lot.

"Why, yes." I reply in my own Capitol accent. "The idea of a group of bloodthirsty children massacring each other makes me want to squeal and get a manicure."

She laughs, and we continue our "Capitol" conversation, before walking downstairs and out of the door. However, I can't help but feel a pang of nervousness as we emerge and walk out into the street. Recognising one of the kids who used to bully me, I make a face at her and we speed up, so not to be recognised. I stood up to them in the end and they stopped, sure, but I'm still a little bit nervous.

When we get to the Town Square, we register and get in line with the other sixteen year olds, when our district escort comes onstage and starts talking about the Dark Days, before moving on to picking the names. My heart is thumping hard against my chest, and I only feel slightly reassured as Gala takes my hand and squeezes it. There is no hilarity about this. This is deadly serious.

"Cora Cooper!"

Silence. My heart feels like it's stopped. My eyes open wide, and I just stare up at the stage with a mix of horror and fear. A sick feeling rises in my stomach, and I grip onto Gala's hand hard enough to break her bones. Then I let go and begin the long walk up to the stage. I'm… I'm going to die. For a second I consider screaming and breaking down but it's then I realise… I can't. I'm going to put on a brave face, just to make myself look less weak. I have to.

Because I'm not going to win this. I know it.

**ZERO HOBBES, DISTRICT 6 MALE**

My baby sister's cries awaken me. Immediately I get up and walk over to her cot, where she is screaming and banging her fists against the metal bars that encage her. For a few seconds I stare at her writhing form, before a pang of sympathy comes to me. She can't even be understood when she calls for help. Reaching a hand down, I clasp one of her small, beating paws in my hand and hold it for a second. Her small, frightened eyes look up into mine, and I stare right back at her.

"Shh now." I whisper to her, before returning to my own bed and checking the clock. Four hours till the Reaping. Most people won't be up, since about three quarters of the population of this District tries to sleep in on Reaping Day. I suppose if you're scared that you're going to die, extra sleep decreases the fear? Oh I don't know. My body is on a strict regime, and that involves going to bed and waking up at a certain time. However, that is mostly my baby sister Vesuvia's fault, since she never sleeps.

Walking downstairs, I grab myself a roll and some dried berries and munch on them. Then, grabbing a bottle of milk, I walk upstairs and pass it to the baby in the cot who begins to suck appreciatively. I then go to take a quick shower, before grabbing my Reaping clothes. People say I'm older than my years, but that's only because I've always had to look after my younger siblings since my parents are always at work. I want to go to work too, so I can be with my mother and father. Personally, I'd like to design new trains and ways of transport; I've already drawn up some ideas for my own combine harvesters that could be used in District 11, that would save time and also do the job a lot better. Inventing things is one of my passions, although I couldn't build them myself. I don't have that sort of knowledge, being from District 6. My friend Harvey, who's 16, says you learn a bit about that when you get older- I'm only twelve. It's my first year of the Reaping.

Rousing my younger brothers Jonah and Gulf, who are nine and six, I go into my parents' room where my mum and dad are both snoozing gently. They both have a relaxed, happy look on their faces, and I watch them for a few moments. A soft expression comes onto my face, and I go and poke them awake.

"I have to go to the Reaping," I say quietly. "Please can you take the kids along later?"

My mother smiles a little sadly, and embraces me. I nuzzle into her shoulder, relishing the attention, and feel tears coming to my eyes. She smells of lilies and milk- the smell of home. Walking away before I can embarrass myself, I go downstairs and open the door to walk outside. Ducking my head, I walk through the streets towards the square. Since I don't have to go to school, as my day is eaten up with looking after my younger siblings, I don't have any friends apart from Harvey. However, he lives on the other side of town so I can't walk with him.

When I eventually get to the square, I register myself, and discover that I'm shivering. Noticeably shivering- one of the older kids smirks at me and calls me a crybaby, as I veer away towards the other twelve year olds. Some are actually crying, although most simply look terrified- I probably am one of the worst. My heart is thunking against my chest hard enough to hurt and I clench my fists, biting my lip. As the district escort comes onto the stage, it doesn't even feel like a reality. It doesn't feel like I could get chosen to die, not at all. It just can't happen.

A girl of about sixteen gets called up first. Although she pauses with a look of fear on her face when her name is first called, she shakes her head and makes her way up without looking too scared. There's an almost defiant look on her tanned face, and I can't help but admire her a bit. Then, it's the boys turn and I shut my eyes, biting my lip. i'm shivering again.

"Zero Hobbes!"

Me. Not me. Please not me. My eyes snap open, as I begin to walk towards the stage. I clench my fists hard and try to put on a brave face, like that other girl did. She was brave… I can be brave… Can't I? Come on, Zero, be brave… be strong… It's about then that I burst into wild tears.


	8. District 7 Reaping

**KATARA WINSLOW, DISTRICT 7 FEMALE**

My axe chops hard into the tree. I feel the vibration as it runs up my arm, and a rueful smile comes onto my face as I withdraw the axe and chop again, into the cut I made before. In some districts they'd be asleep right now, especially because the Reaping is supposed to be a day off. But I need the extra money and, besides, I don't mind working overtime. I love being amongst the trees and away from the world, because it means I can be alone. Ever since my brother and sister were… murdered in the 72nd Hunger Games, I've not wanted to be around people. Apart from Tobee, my boyfriend, and my best friend Harrow. They're the only people in the world I can trust now, apart from my parents.

"Wow, if that tree was alive, it'd be screaming out in pain by now." a voice comes from behind me and, turning around, I see Tobee standing behind me. My heart flutters at the sight of him- he's the best looking boy in District 7, and almost everyone wants to date him. I was actually quite surprised when he came and asked me out, since I'm not a popular, generic blonde, but we've been going out for months now.

"Trees are alive," I reply, glancing at him as he flicks his dark brown hair out of his face and walks over to me. Leaning on my axe, I let him kiss me before turning back to the tree and beginning to hack at it some more. "They aren't animated or anything, but they grow, don't they?"

"They aren't the only thing growing."

I smile and pretend to hit him with the axe, but he dodges away and smirks at me. Then, taking his own axe from his belt, he begins to chop away at the tree next to mine almost more violently than myself. He's nineteen and has been working at this for years, so he's even more experienced than I am in the ways of being a forester. We chop wood for a short while longer then head back to the sawmill, arms full of chopped logs. He is rather distant as we put down the logs and, although I try and engage him in conversation, his answers grow shorter and sharper and he keeps looking over my shoulder as if there's someone there. When he winks over my head I whip round to hear a giggle and the sound of rustling in the bushes. What's going on? Turning towards him with a questioning look, he smirks again.

"It's nothing, babe."

Feeling a bit of suspicion creeping up on me, I purse my lips at him before walking off towards my house. Since the Reaping is in about an hour and I'm covered in sweat, I need to get washed, dressed and presentable. My mother is stirring porridge over the grate by the door and a warm smile comes onto her face as I walk into our log cabin. Whenever I'm around her face lights up, but I've seen her crying at night. She misses my brother and sister still. She's sweet and middle aged since she had all three of us quite late- my father is a typical grizzled, gruff old forester. He is sitting at the table, reading some sort of book. When he sees me, a small smile comes onto his face.

"Been out in the woods? Good girl. Not like those flouncy town lasses, eh?" he says, with a rough laugh. I smile back, before heading to the bathroom and washing the morning's dirt and sweat off me. Then, I grab my Reaping clothes and shove them on, before walking back into the living room to say goodbye to my parents. Although there is a slight, tingling fear in the pit of my stomach, I'm not too worried. I took tessera, but since it's only me and my parents, I don't have too many entries. I'm seventeen, so there's only this Reaping and next year's to go, before I'm out of here.

My parents tell me they love me, before I walk out of the door and towards the town square. Stopping outside Harrow's house, I wait for her to come to the door, and smile at her. She's precisely the "flouncy town girl" my father is always complaining about, and he really dislikes her. He's always warned me that she's not to be trusted, but I like her. Although she does do things, sometimes, that really irritate me. We walk to the town square in silence- she's been acting a lot colder to me recently, like Tobee.

After we get registered, we head up to where all the other seventeen year old's are standing and wait to be Reaped. Our district escort comes onstage and does her usual, irritating routine, before strutting towards the Reaping ball and rummaging around in it. Then, she pulls out a scrap of paper with her perfectly manicured fingernails.

"Katara Winslow!"

I freeze. My eyes widen and I feel a vibration, similar to the one from my axe hitting the wood, running through my body. I'm… I'm Reaped? Just like my brother and sister were, all those years ago… My parents will have lost another child to the Games. For a second I shut my eyes in an attempt to keep calm, and compose myself. If there's one thing I believe it's this- everything happens for a reason, and I deserve this. Perhaps… perhaps I won't die? Who knows… But then, as I walk up towards the stage, I hear a voice.

"Hey Katara, since you're going to die, I figure you'd better know you're dumped. I don't want to date an ugly whore anymore."

I stop in my tracks and turn my head around. Tobee is standing on the sidelines, being nineteen and not eligible to be Reaped, with a disgusted look in his eyes. He avoids eye contact with me and for a second, I want to run and scream at him. Dumped? Now? A rush of hatred runs through me, as I walk up to the stage to complete silence. Hello, Hunger Games. I'm ready now.

**KOYEJU SITU, DISTRICT 7 MALE**

Opening my eyes, I stare up at the ceiling. For a few moments I just lie in my bed, before sitting up and running my hands through my brown hair, before shutting my eyes again. My head is throbbing- I was up late last night fishing in the lake in the woods, and I'm very tired. I barely caught any fish too- just sat there in silence staring at the dull water. But I got some good ones.

Unlike most kids in District 7, I don't want to be a lumberjack. I hate the dark, cramped forests. My true love is water. A person like me should really have been born in District 4, where I could have truly been happy and content with my lifestyle. Here it feels like I'm going to go nowhere, and live out my life in the woods that I hate. If the Peacekeepers found out I "stole" fish from the lake, I'd be publicly executed. I've had so many near misses with being caught that it's ridiculous, and I'm almost certain it's just a matter of time before Capitol officials barge down my door and have a public lynching. So perhaps I'll have to be more careful.

"Morning, Koyeju." turning my head, I see my twin sister Kairi grinning at me across the room. She's almost identical to me- when we were little, we used to pretend to be each other and would sometimes actually get away with it. Since she's grown her hair out and has become more developed with age we can't anymore, although most say it's eery to see us together.

"Good morning. I really don't want to get up."

She laughs and, pushing back her covers, gets out of bed and walks towards me. Grabbing one of my hands, she forcibly yanks me out of bed and onto the floor and we collapse into a heap. When we finally emerge, both laughing, we're both breathless. Kairi smiles at me, before getting up and grabbing her Reaping clothes to get changed in the bathroom. Even though we're twins, it's still kind of awkward seeing each other naked, like with any siblings. I grab my own clothes and get changed, before walking downstairs into the living room. Kairi is already down there, with our parents, and they are conversing in quiet voices.

"Sleep well?" my father says in his low, slightly sarcastic voice, as he gives me a lazy grin. I nod back, too tired to say anything, before rubbing the remaining sleep dust out of my eyes and walking towards the sideboard where some of the fish I caught last night is being fried in the pan. Grabbing a piece, I throw it from hand to hand while it cools down, then shove it into my mouth. It's boiling hot and covered with oil, burning my tongue, but it wakes me up sufficiently.

I sit with my family for a few minutes before Kairi drags me out of the door to go to the Reaping. As we walk through the wild woodlands towards the town, where all the other kids who live amongst the trees are heading, I can feel a touch of nervousness in my heart. It's scary to imagine that you might be going into the Hunger Games, with the amount of fear that surrounds it. From my sixteen years of watching it, I'm terrified to go in. Kids from District 7 have a better chance than some, being lumberjacks, but I've never bothered with that, preferring to fish… So I lose that advantage. Maybe, even if I get chosen, some huge, muscular lumberjack will volunteer for me? Sometimes that happens… But I doubt I'll get chosen. I don't have any tessera.

When we eventually get to the Justice Building where the Reaping is taking place, I take Kairi's hand, needing some comfort. She grips it back equally hard, and we share a nervous look. She's worked in the woods for many years, and chopping at trees is second nature to her… But what about chopping at humans? Different entirely.

The district escort walks onstage and does her usual routine, winking at the Mayor (whose face reddens considerably), and attempting to flirt with Blight, a previous victor. He looks a little stunned and attempts to ignore her, but she's warded off by a snarky word from Johanna, another of our previous mentors. Everyone respects her- even though she's constantly grumpy, she really knows how to put these Capitol people in their place. The look of heartbreak on the district escort's face is both hilarious and heartbreaking, and I have to look away to stop myself grinning.

Kairi walks away from me to go to the girl's side, but neither of us loses eye contact. We only have each other in this situation, and we must take care of each other. Mouthing at her that she'll be fine, I turn to face the front as the girl tribute is chosen. A tall, slim but toned girl who looks like she could be a Career walks up, an unreadable and deadpan look on her face. I smile slightly- so Kairi's safe for another year, that's good to know. So now I only have myself to worry about. Bowing my head, I silently pray to every God I've heard of that I won't get chosen, as I feel a bead of sweat appearing on my brow. I clench my fists.

"Koyeju Situ!"

It… it's me? Like a robot I walk up to the stage, eyes wide. My whole body has gone completely tense, and I can scarcely believe it. Wha- what? I'm going into the Hunger Games? A rush of fear runs through my body and I have to force myself to keep calm, blinking as many times as I can to keep calm. I cannot show fear, not when the Careers from District 1, 2 and 4 will be watching and deciding who will be an easy kill… Seeking out Kairi, I stare bleakly into her eyes as I watch tears beginning to worm their way down her cheeks.

No.


	9. District 8 Reaping

**MARGARETH ALICE WARLOX, DISTRICT 8 FEMALE**

My dreams usually involve my father. Either him or those filthy bastards from District 4. I hate every single one of them- from the ancients to the newly born babies. It's their fault my father is dead. He was a Peacekeeper, and got sent to that scumhole of a district to deal with a minor rebellion… And he got shot, leaving him paralysed and disabled. He lost his job, and my dear mother couldn't deal with that. She walked out on us. He died not long after- either of a broken heart or his injuries. And I got sent to live with my aunt and uncle.

Getting up out of bed, I check the locket around my neck. Sometimes, I get scared that I've lost it- my father gave it to me before he died, and it's all I have left of him. It's got a clock and an A inside- he always called me Alice, even though it's my middle name. He liked it a lot more than Margareth, my mother's choice. Playing with it between my fingers for a second, I imagine that he is with me for a second and close my eyes. Then, I open them and walk over to my dressing table.

I stare at myself critically in the mirror. Four years ago, when I was twelve and I still had parents, I would be moaning and complaining about how my hair is too frizzy, or my eyelashes aren't dark enough. True, true, I was a spoilt brat. But that all changed since I've been with my aunt and uncle and I think I've changed for the better.

"Margareth Alice Walcox, hurry up!"

With a low snarl, I begin to run a brush through my red hair. When it's eventually tamed and smooth, I pull on the Reaping dress my mother used to wear and pinch my nostrils. It's got her scent on it, and it reminds me of her too much… I feel tears coming to my eyes and blink them away. Although I can never admit it, I still miss her sometimes. Shaking my head in an attempt to clear it, I hastily avoid the corset I can see hanging in my wardrobe. My aunt says it's proper for "young ladies" to wear a corset, but nobody else does, and I think it looks stupid. Nobody else wears them, and I get teased mercilessly when I bother. Then, giving myself one last despairing glance in the mirror, I walk towards the door and slam it behind me, to give my aunt and uncle a warning that I'm coming.

When I eventually get down there, I find my aunt and uncle staring at me with their uniform glares. I stare back, and cross my arms over my stomach, in an attempt to conceal the fact that I'm not wearing a corset. If they realise that I'm not wearing one, my aunt will slap me round the head. And belive me, she's got an iron fist. They watch me out of the door with those eagle eyes, and I act as natural as I can, sucking in my stomach. When I eventually get out of the door, I let out a sigh of relief and slump down on the fence. The sharp prongs hurt my behind and I let out a loud swearword, then grin. My aunt and uncle would kill me if they heard me swearing like that. But some of the things I do would shock them.

For example: I'm going to volunteer.

Giving the house one last, distasteful look, I begin to walk down the street towards the Reaping and quickly find myself joined by my two best friends, Lou and Jason. They grin and walk either side of me, but there's something a little mournful about the way they walk. I've told them I'm going to volunteer: since my father was a Peacekeeper, he showed me how to use a blowgun. I hear you laugh, but Maysilee Donner did alright, didn't she? Truly, all I want to do is wipe out those District 4 kids, then I'm good. I couldn't give less of a shit about anyone else.

"You still planning to… you know… volunteer?" Lou gives me a nervous look. She's never been entirely enthusiastic about me volunteering, understandably. We've been best friends since we were little children, and I'd hate it if she volunteered. Jason is her boyfriend- they've been dating in secret for about a year. They're dating in secret, because Jason is, according to both of our families, supposed to be engaged to me. That's another reason why I want to volunteer- so I can get away from this whole engagement thing. He comes from a family of Victors, and my aunt and uncle want the money.

"Course she is," Jason grins, reaching forward to ruffle my hair. I dodge away from him with a laugh, and he winks at both of us. "Never seen a girl that good with a spitwad in all my years."

"Wouldn't call it a spitwad, asshole." I laugh, then, doing a faux sexy stare at Lou, I whisper, wiggling my eyebrows, "You might want want to shut your boyfriend up."

Both Jason and I burst into laughter, although Lou looks rather confused. She's got a talent for not understanding innuendo, and it's always enjoyable to confuse her with it. Since her parents are even stricter with her than mine, she doesn't… get out much, let's say. Neither do I, but Jason fills me in on all the details.

When we eventually reach the square, it is already full to bursting… I gulp, remembering that Malvolio will be here again. He's our District escort, and there isn't a soul in this entire distict who doesn't despise him with all their heart. He's… he's horrible. Cruel, bullying, and just plain evil. One day, somebody is going to push him off his damn pedestal and break his neck. He tells us to be quiet in his sickeningly patronising way, before a bored expression comes onto his face and he begins to talk in his monotone, nasal voice. He talks about the Dark Days for a while, and I'm practically itching for him to call out the names. I'm going to volunteer… I'm going to do it… A small, nervous grin comes onto my face as I grip Lou's hand, hard. Can I really do it?

"Let's start with the girls…" he goes up to the Reaping ball and plucks out a piece of paper, looking at it down his nose. He opens it, before saying in an entirely uncaring voice, "Safi… Safia… Saffiella… Oh for God's sake, who was common enough to name you such a ridiculous name?" he sniffs. A large girl of eighteen Safina, who has muscles like a boar, cracks her knuckles menacingly and begins to walk up to the stage, but is halted as I shout,

"I volunteer!"

I stand totally still. Have I… have I actually done it? I stand, rooted to the spot, just staring at everyone. Everyone is looking at me, wide eyed… I realise that I am wide eyed too, and I'm shaking. A pulse of fear runs through me and, for a moment, I consider taking it back and letting Safina go in… But then the memory of my father comes to me. Lifting my chin high, I contort my face into a look of pride, before beginning to walk up to the stage.

**COBAIN RENARD, DISTRICT 8 MALE**

I start my morning with a run, as I always have. Head down, eyes on the ground, I just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Left, right, left, right- as long as I keep going, I get fitter. Sure I run out of breath, but my father showed me a trick… Well, it's not really a trick. If you breathe in once with your nose and then breathe out twice through your mouth, and alternate, you never get a stitch. It doesn't always work, but it usually does. He likes me to run for an hour a day, like he did as a boy, and then train with my bow and arrows and do sit ups. He says I'm a good marksman. My grandfather Woof, who won the Games a generation ago, agrees.

But I can never live up to them. Not unless I volunteer for the Games.

I'm from a family of Victors, and although that means I've always had enough to eat and never had to worry about not having a roof over my head, I have some pretty interesting relatives. My grandfather, my grandmother, my father, my aunt, and my cousin form up about fifty percent of the victors from District 8. And now I've turned eighteen, they want me to join the bundle. My mother says I should take no notice of them and do whatever I want to do, but this is what I've trained to do all my life. Run. Shoot arrows. And that's all I need. I've never been to school so I can't… well, I can't read or write or anything like that. I wish I could, but when I asked as a kid, my father told me that it was pointless and a waste of my time.

There's only one thing I'd rather do than any of this. Sing.

It's pathetic I know, and I'd never admit it to anyone. People would say things, and my father wouldn't like me to be doing anything other than training. But my mother sings, she sings a lot. She works in one of the factories as a seamstress and she sings as she works, she sings as she sits in our garden and prunes the flowers, and she sings as she cooks. My mother has a beautiful voice- it's high and clear, like a mockingjay's. Up until I was eleven I'd sing along with her, until my father caught me, cuffed me round the bed, and called me a "sissy". I'm not gay or anything, I've had girlfriends. But they've all been the same. All they want is for me to win the Games, be a victor, and bathe them in money.

"_If only, if only, the woodpecker sighs,_

_The bark on the trees was just a little bit softer,_

_And the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely,_

_He cries to the moon, if only, if only," _

I sing quietly as I run around the Victors village, marking my fifth lap as I reach my house. Slowing to a stop, I walk inside and go upstairs to get changed. It's the Reaping today and… and it's about time I volunteer. It's my last Reaping, so I might as well- maybe I could even win. I've trained since I was four years old, and I'm strong, and I'm ready. Even though I like singing, doesn't mean I can't kill a person if needs be.

Walking into the bathroom and pulling off my clothes, I get into the shower and wash off the run's sweat. When I'm eventually clean, I walk to my room and get dressed in my Reaping clothes, before running a comb through my frizzy blond hair. It goes out in zigzags around my head- I'm a weird looking guy, I suppose. That's probably why people call me "Zigzag", because of my insane hair. My face is pretty normal.

After I'm ready, I walk downstairs and grab a slice of bread and an apple, eating both with relish. My grandfather is sitting at the kitchen table, and I wave to him.

"Morning, grandpa." I say quietly, and he cranes his head towards me. He's… um… slightly deaf. As well as being a little bit senile in his old age. But I love the old man.

"Ehhh?" he says. I don't bother to reply, knowing my quiet voice could never be heard by him, and head out of the door towards the town square, I smile at Cecelia who is leaving her house. She's a victor too, just won her Games six years ago when she was eighteen.

I used to have a bit of a crush on Cecelia.

We walk towards the town square together, conversing in quiet voices. I tell her about my plan to volunteer, and she smiles and lets me know that she'll be mentoring. When we eventually get there and split up, I walk over to the other 18 year olds and wait. Malvolio comes up onto the stage and does his usual thing, being rude to everyone and anyone, before he calls a name and there is a volunteer. I watch carefully to see who it is, and raise my eyebrows in surprise. It's Margareth Walcox- our fathers used to know each other! She's two years younger than me, I think… I have memories of us as little kids playing together in my garden. A slight pang of doubt fills me. Although I don't know her and I doubt she'd recognise me… should I say something? Will I be able to kill this girl who I used to be friends with? I steel myself up, getting ready to volunteer.

"Asi-"

"I volunteer!" Walking as speedily as I can up to the front, I go and stand onstage with Margareth and Malvolio. She's looking at me as if she recognises me a little bit, scrutinising me carefully. I look away, a little embarrassed. I don't really like it when people scrutinise me like that. But then as the crowd roars, I can't help but let a smile come onto my face. I'm usually quite shy but this… this is something different. This is like being famous.

**Did you like them? Who did you like more? Any bets on who is going to win at this early hour?**

**Let me know in a review**

**Next chapter, District 9 Reaping, is currently in the works and will come out soon. District 10 Reaping may be out later tonight too, although I'm certain about District 9.**

**Thanks a lot, Lachance**


	10. District 9 Reaping

**SAM XAVIER, DISTRICT 9 MALE**

It's my last Reaping this year, thank God. There are some people in the world who are not supposed to be in the Hunger Games… I'm one of them. Maybe I could survive, being 18 and not weedy or anything from my years of using a scythe in the corn fields… But I'm not one of those heartless killers who could just go into the Games and slaughter everyone. I'm not serious enough.

Rubbing sleep dust from my eyes, I sit up and stretch my arms out. It's Reaping Day, my last one ever, I tell myself. After today, I truly become a man and I never have to worry about going into the Hunger Games ever again… Plus I get all of the other perks you get from being a man… Alright, maybe that joke wasn't completely appropriate. Smiling to myself, I swing my legs out of bed and walk towards my dresser, pulling out my Reaping clothes. Today will be the last day I ever use them, and I can chuck them on a bonfire and be done with it all. I haven't got tessera or anything, so I'm only in seven times. Compared to some of the kids, I've got no chance at all of being chosen. So I might as well just kick back, relax and go along without feeling worried.

However, there is a bit of a nagging feeling in my stomach- there's always the worry you ARE going to get picked. The odds are pretty in my favour, sure, but the odds have been wrong before. No, I'm not going to think about that. I'm Sam Xavier, eighteen years old, District 9- just your average guy. Being Reaped is the sort of thing that happens to other people, not you. Reassuring myself silently, I brush my brown hair and take a quick bath in the tub before heading downstairs. My older brother Dorian is sitting by the fire, lazily kicking at the flames with his foot. When he sees me, he smirks.

"Hey-y, little brother. Ready for the Reaping?" he says cheerily, lolling his head back. Dorian is basically my clone when it comes to personality even though we look literally nothing alike. Putting on a terrible Capitol accent, he fluffs up his hair with both hands and pulls a face, trying to make me laugh. "May the Odds be EVER in your favour!"

I grin at him and walk over to the kitchen cupboard, where mum usually leaves us food. Inside is some left over stew from last night. Grabbing a couple of bowls from under the sink, I dole it out and hand him a portion before settling down to eat. It doesn't taste good, since it's pretty stale. But that doesn't matter- it fills my stomach, and that's all that matters.

Glancing outside, I notice the already steady stream of people heading for the Reaping, kicking up wheat dust. Since it's District 9, there tends to be residue of the grain we harvest everywhere. It gets into all your nooks and crannies, if you get what I mean. Still, I don't really understand why everyone is heading out so early. Why run to your death when you can walk at your leisure? With a small smile, I finish my stew and throw the bowl at the sink. It misses by inches and clatters onto the floor, shattering. Mumbling a swearword under my breath, I grab the broom from by the door and begin to brush at it, until I've got it into a pile. Then, grabbing the clay shards, I shove them into the bin and nurse the cuts from the sharp clay on my hands. Dorian laughs.

"If I were you, Mr Smooth, I'd head out to the Reaping. Otherwise you'll be late and miss your last one ever. Good luck- there's no way in hell you're getting picked, alright?" Then, in a rare moment of sentimentality, he gets up and gives me a quick hug. It's awkward as hugs go, and I pull away quickly with a slightly red face, mutter a farewell, and walk towards the door.

Clenching my fists hard, I grab my coat from by the door and pull it on, as well as a pair of shoes. When I've delayed for as long as I can, I slowly open the door and step out, taking extra care not to tread on the small row of pansies my mother has planted outside. The flowers were her rather feeble attempt to make our cramped hovel feel more homely. Sadly, a couple of wilted flowers don't do much to improve the aesthetics of a stinking pile of bricks.

I join the crowd heading to the Reaping- it's rather thinner now than it was before, since we're the latecomers. Most of us are eighteen- those who are tired of the Reapings, and ready to become adults. We all walk with a drag in our step, and it's only when a shout stops me am I pulled out of my reverie. Turning to my left, I see my friend Ken, who has recently turned nineteen, hanging out of a window. He had his last Reaping last year, so he doesn't have anything to worry about, aside from one of his many younger siblings getting chosen.

"Sam! Good luck out there, and give Haley a hug from me!" Haley is the name of my other best friend, who is my age. Those two used to date a bit, so I doubt she'd really appreciate a hug from him. Nevertheless, I shout that I will and wish one of his numerous siblings good luck as they walk out of the door, before continuing on my way. Haley lives on the total other side of town (the "fat cat side", as Dorian calls it), so I can't walk with her. I'll probably see her at the Reaping, though. All I'll have to do is follow the attractive males, and she'll be there. She's a bit… boy mad.

When I reach the town square I register, and push my way through the crowd of little children to the front, where all of the other eighteen year olds are. Spotting Haley who is, sure enough, staring at a good looking boy near me, I mouth good luck at her. She grins ruefully and nods her head, mouths it back, then faces the front. I can't stop my eyes from floating down to her rather attractive ass, before I look away sharply. Haley is very, very much off limits, although she is particularly gorgeous.

Our district escort comes onto the stage, and does her usual crazed rant about the Capitol. Then, she walks over to the Reaping ball and fishes in, going for the guys first… I shut my eyes and clench my teeth. It won't be me. Being Reaped isn't something that happens to you, it happens to other people… Come on, Sam, don't worry about a thing… In ten minutes you'll be heading home with Haley and all will be fine…

"Sam Xavier!"

My eyes snap open and I feel a rush of cold running through my body. I tense and take a long, slow breath in. Didn't I… Oh my God. I am going to die. For some kids who are bigger, stronger, they might have a glint of hope. But for me? This is a death sentence. I am going to… I am going to die. Well that… That was unexpected. Taking a shuddering breath, I try and calm myself. I can enjoy my final days, can't I? Stuff myself, drink myself silly, maybe try and get with another tribute… But my death is unavoidable.

Shakily, I step towards the stage.

**CHIFFON CLOUD, DISTRICT 9 FEMALE**

I sit in the alleyway with my head on my knees, watching the wall in front of me. Memories of my mother flash before my eyes. Her snarls, her hard hand, a frying pan hitting me over the head. Words written on my body that I can't get rid of. Things that label me. Ugly, pig, despicable… I can never get rid of those words. People don't call me them, not anymore. And even if they do, I just ignore them now. She's still alive, my mother. I don't honestly know where she is- probably wallowing in her own muck and shit. I ran away about two years ago, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was soft at first, emotionally unstable. But now? I haven't done it alone, I've had support from some kind hearted people, but I'm strong now. Emotionally, not physically. Physically, I'm pretty fucked up and malnourished.

The sound of footsteps knocks me out of a daydream, and I turn my head sharply to see children walking towards the square. Oh yeah! It's Reaping Day today, isn't it? For a second I consider not going, but I shake my head. If I skip it, a Peacekeeper will come and beat the living daylights out of me, and probably turn me into an Avox too. Still… an Avox? Not the worst life. Still, I kinda enjoy living alone on the streets. I can do pretty much whatever I want and, as long as I'm careful, I don't get raped or beaten up. Better than serving some fat Capitol person, locked up in some fine house.

I need freedom to be happy.

With a yawn, I stretch my arms and shake my tangled mess of black hair out of my face. With a hiss of annoyance, I run my fingers through it to try and get rid of the knots, before getting to my feet. Rubbing the night's dirt from my face, I walk towards the busy marketplace. Good, I think to myself. When it's busy, it's easier to steal food, because there's more people to hide behind. Stepping out, I ignore the pointed glares that being a gutter child can gain you, and step towards the bakers stall. The beautiful smell of freshly baked bread hits my nostrils and I breathe it in slowly, savouring. If only a smell could fill your stomach.

Sidling up to it, I wait until the baker is looking away, before my hand whips out and I grab a cream filled bun. Quickly, I shove it in my pocket and move along as innocently as I can muster. That's breakfast then, and it's a pretty luxurious one indeed. It's rare I actually manage to steal anything successfully, so a smug grin of satisfaction comes onto my face. Walking down a side street, I lean against a wall and eat it, savouring the sweet taste in my mouth. I take as long as possible, so to enjoy the beautiful sweetness, before beginning to walk towards the Reaping.

Joining the growing crowd of people, I walk slightly away from them- most don't need an excuse to start on me, because of my status as a "gutter snipe". A few people think I'm a prostitute too, although that isn't true. I've seen plenty of girls like me, living on the streets, turning to prostitution but… The idea has never appealed to me. Currently, my plan to become rich is hold the Mayor's wife to ransom, although I doubt that will ever happen. You know the stuff- nail her to the floor, cut off her ear and send it to him… This is why people say I have a horrible sense of humour…

"Oi, Chiffon!" I scowl. The group of kids who regularly torment me are coming- honestly, I don't know why they haven't given up yet. Nothing they say effects me, I haven't gone crazy and bothered to attack any of them, and I really don't care about those arrogant little idiots. Generally I get left alone but, occasionally, some people have to come and bug me about my grubby appearance. Why do I always wear the same outfit? Because I don't have any money, you stupid shits.

"Chiffon, I saw you last night… what the hell were you doing?!" Catty laughter at that. Last night, I was having a bath in the river by one of the wheat fields, because I don't have a home and I like to try and stay reasonably clean. They decided to have one of their little meetings right nearby. I had to do a naked run through the woods and they saw me… Pretty embarrassing to say the least.

"I'd just finished sleeping with your father. Now I know where your brother gets his shrivelled cock from." Oh yes. That felt good to get out, although I'm certainly going to pay for it now. Oh well, I'm seventeen years old- I'm not precisely a little kid who can get beaten up. Still, I break into a run, and don't stop until I'm in the crowds waiting to be Reaped outside the Justice Building.

The district escort comes onstage and begins to ramble about the Capitol and the Dark Days. The usual, uninteresting rant that she does every year- not a word has changed since I came here for my first Reaping aged 12. By now, if she had a stroke onstage and needed a step in, I could easily do it. Plus, my Capitol accent cannot be beat. Hey, maybe that's a way to get rich? I'll mug our district escort, steal her ridiculous wig, and pretend to be her. That would be nice, wouldn't it?

She goes over to the boys Reaping ball, and calls a name.

"Sam Xavier!"

A boy with brown hair and dark eyes walks up to the stage- he doesn't look particularly fearful, although his fists are clenched and his jaw is tight. He's eighteen: not a physical wonder like some of the other eighteen year olds, but he's got the look of somebody who has always had enough to eat about him. Perhaps a threat, perhaps not… I don't think I'd do well in the Hunger Games, although who knows? Even though I have literally no weapon experience, I've survived on my own for two years… But then again, I'd have no chance against the Careers. No chance at all.

So when the district escort goes over to the girls Reaping ball, I bow my head and find my whole body shaking. I'm terrified. Please let it not be me… Please let it not be me…

"Chiffon Cloud!"

I can scarcely believe it. My heart feels like it's frozen, and I begin to walk, as if in a trance, towards the stage. A feeling of fear runs through me, and I shiver; Sam, up onstage, is looking at me with unreadable eyes. Gritting my teeth, I stare blankly at the crowd. The district escort calls our names out, waits for applause (and doesn't get any), before marching us into the Justice Building.

The doors slam behind me, trapping me in this… in this cage. I can't escape now. Turning to Sam, who is standing completely still beside me with wide eyes, staring around the place, I say in a low voice,

"Well aren't I as screwed as a hooker?"

**Who, out of these do, do you prefer? Who is your favourite tribute so far? Let me know in a review :) **

**Apologies for the wait, my internet has been going haywire.**


	11. District 10 Reaping

**SCEPTOR WHISHART, DISTRICT 10 MALE**

Working in the slaughterhouse is a nasty job. But someone has to do it.

I got up early this morning, like I always do, to come and carve. Unlike some of the rednecks who spend all of their time out in the fields rounding up cattle and other vile creatures, I actually have a job. Sure it means I carve up animal corpses and occasionally snap the odd neck, but why is that a problem? I don't understand all of these squeamish people who won't come near me because I have blood on my apron.

As soon as I enter the large warehouse, the familiar stench of animal blood strikes my nostrils. My eyes feast on the sight ahead: pure, perfect carnage. I hate animals. Their meat is delicious, though. And another benefit of working in the slaughterhouse is that I can sometimes steal meat. My family gets fairly well fed off my income, let's say, although not all of it is precisely honest.

Pulling on my apron, I make my way over to the livestock station and grab a chicken by the neck. I then grab it's tiny, feathery body and proceed to twist it's head around sharply. The crack of bones tells me that I've done my job successfully and a small, satisfied smile comes onto my face.

"Bloody hell, Sep, did you have to make such a mess?" Turning around, I spot my co-worker Angelo staring at me, a look of disgust in his eyes. I shoot him a look, before walking towards the gutting station, swinging the broken necked corpse in one hand.

I slam the dead chicken down on the chopping board and briskly grab my gutting knife, beheading it quickly before setting to plucking it. When it's done, I pull a plastic glove onto one hand before reaching up to grab the creature's guts. Yanking them out, I deposit them in the box beside me (poor families love chicken guts..), then begin to cut up the animal.

When I'm eventually done, I move on and do a couple more. After two hours or so, I take off my apron and head home to get washed up for the Reaping. Although being Reaped and already covered in blood might make me look tough, I doubt I'll get picked. I'm sixteen, but I don't take tessera. Anyway, worst comes to the worst, I'm pretty deadly with a knife...

Walking through the streets, I get accosted a few times. Most people here are animal lovers, and anyone (like myself) who works at the slaughterhouse is automatically despised. That doesn't matter though: we're pretty much a community of our own. But they can't protect me in the outside world.

"Hey, butcher boy!" a voice comes from behind me, but I don't answer. I'm still covered in chicken blood, and my previously white, clean shirt is now stained red. "Go kill yourself! Nobody likes murderers."

"If I didn't fucking carve up those animals, you wouldn't have your dinner tonight." I shoot back, shaking my head and letting my curly brown hair cover my eyes. I yank my hood up, before walking a little faster towards my house on the other side of town.

They follow me for a while, shouting abuse about how they'll come for me in the night and carve me up with my own knives, before going to shag horses or whatever they do in their spare time. A small grin comes onto my face as I think of it.

I eventually reach my house, and kick my boots off before entering. My mother is very particular about tidiness, and I doubt she'd be too happy if she finds me tracking mud and animal guts into the house. Dropping the boots my the door, I pull my hood down and wipe my hands on my shirt, before walking upstairs. I'd better take a bath before my mother sees how covered in blood I am.

The bathroom door is shut, and I can hear my mother arguing with one of my older brothers. I've got three: I'm the baby of the family. There's Tobias, who is twenty three (the one arguing with my mother, by the sound of the voice), Rollo, who is twenty one, and Bjorn who is eighteen (the one most likely to be in the bathroom).

For a second I just bask in the chaos that is my house, before going over to the bathroom and banging on the door. Just as I expected, I hear the sound of splashing and Bjorn's deep voice.

"What?!" he shouts from inside, not opening the door. With an exasperated sigh, I fiddle with the lock and click the latch from the outside before bursting in. Then, with a yell of shock, I cover my eyes. He's in the bath! Oh well done, Sceptor, well done...

"Get the fuck out!" he snarls, grabbing a towel and covering himself with it. Slowly I edge my hands away from my eyes and, seeing him decent, grab him by the shoulders and shove him out of the room. He's smaller than me- I managed to have a growth spurt recently which has worked to my advantage in bathroom rights- and is easy to push.

"I need a bath!" I call to him, ignoring his outraged shouts. Grabbing a stool, I shove it against the door, before stripping off and getting into the tub myself. After spending a few minutes washing the blood off me, I get out and run to my room, stark naked. In there, I pull on my Reaping clothes before quickly running out of the door and walking briskly down the street towards the town square.

It doesn't take long to get there, but I'm late. I spot my friends from the slaughterhouse near the front, with the other sixteen year olds, and I hurriedly register myself. I get an intensely dirty look from the Capitol official in charge of registering, and a Peacekeeper prods me along with his gun.

The escort pulls a name out of the Reaping ball before I can even reach the other sixteen year olds.

"Sceptor Whishart!"

I don't even get that it's my name at first. I barely even hear it- I just keep pushing to the front. Everyone is staring at me. It's only when the district escort starts wiggling her taloned fingers at me that I realise something.

"Whoa. That's my name." Now that made me sound like an idiot.

Shock is the first thing that registers. I stand still for a second with the fifteen year olds, feeling my legs turning to jelly. For a few moments mixed thoughts run through my head, before I shake it clear and begin to walk towards the stage. And oddly, I'm not even that frightened. There's the beating of my heart against my ribcage, but I can barely feel it. Overall, there's a sense of... of excitement?

After all, how different are humans from animals... right?

**EVA LASH, DISTRICT 10 FEMALE**

As I ride through the fields, I feel a wild joy filling me. It starts in my stomach then rises into my throat, and I can't help but want to scream out with it. I am free, I think to myself, as I ride towards the cattle fields with my best friend Isla a little way behind me on a slightly slower steed.

Letting out a whoop, I hear her laugh behind me and I grin too. The feeling of riding to work each morning... It feels like escaping. It feels like I'm escaping the Capitol, escaping District 10, riding towards freedom. Truly, it's an almost orgasmic feeling.

When we eventually reach the cattle fields, I'm breathless from the ride up. The cattle are ready to be fed the chemicals we must feed them, counted then herded, but we have to do that on foot. Jumping off my horse, I walk over to it's rear to grab the large sack of chemically engineered food hanging onto the horse's flanks.

We have to give them this weird feed to make them fatter- I guess the Capitol likes fatty, chemically meat. It hurts the cows too, I think, but not giving them it would mean losing our jobs. And currently, I can't afford to lose my job. With my parents both currently unemployed, and my Uncle Eugene living with us too, I'm the only source of income.

Hoisting the heavy sacks over our shoulders, Isla and I head towards the herd, over by the back corner of the field. Despite the adrenaline heavy ride up here, we're both a bit droopy. It's the Reaping today, the one time we both have to be in town. I don't like being in a crowd, because it makes me feel so enclosed. And being picked? I can't even think about being picked.

What would happen to my parents if I got chosen for the Hunger Games? I don't even know.

With a small grimace, I take a handful of the disgusting feed and toss it towards the gently grazing cattle.

"Go on, you big lummoxes, go get it!" I shout cheerily at them, trying not to let my anxiety come into my tone. The bull of the herd lets out a low moo, before trotting towards the feed. I try to control my guilty conscience at feeding the creatures such destructive crap, as they begin to feast on the foul stuff.

I toss another handful, and then another and another, until it's all gone. Isla and I wait a few moments until the herd are all chewing, before moving around them to count them. We come up with the exact number, and watch them eat for a few seconds, before walking back towards our horses.

"Hey Eva..." I turn to see Isla looking at me, with a slightly sheepish look on her face. I shrug and smile, although it is certainly forced.

"Yeah?"

"Are you... you know... worried about the Reaping today?"

I think for a few moments. Should I admit that I'm absolutely terrified? I doubt I'd be too terrible in the Games, since I'm sufficient with a knife and good with a whip. I'm tall and toned from years of looking after cattle, but... How good would I be against the Careers from District 1, or 2, or 4?

Thinking about it brings back painful memories... I flush with hatred against the Capitol. My family has had a bit of a reputation for being picked for the Games. Sometimes, I swear it's on purpose: _three_ of my cousins have been chosen, as well as countless aunts and uncles have been chosen over the years. The closest we've come to winning was when my cousin Harvey got into the final fight. I go slightly green at the memory.

"Nahh." I lie in return, hoisting myself up onto my horse's back. She does the same onto hers, and I take the whip off my belt and uncoil it. Stretching it between my hands grimly, I continue, "It'd be too much of a coincidence for me to get picked after Harvey and the rest. Somebody would notice."

Isla sighs, before flicking her reins, causing her steed to take a few steps forward. I do the same, and we soon settle into a trot towards the herd. Side by side, we ready ourselves.

"Sure somebody might notice, but what would they do?" she says quietly, before clicking her tongue and inciting both her, and my, horse's into a canter. Splitting up, we ride either side of the herd and guide them towards the pen. There's less excitement in this, since it's so controlled, but I work well with Isla.

Once we've eventually got all the cattle sorted, we ride back towards town. With every step my horse takes, I feel another pang of worry. What if I get chosen? What if Isla gets chosen? Gripping far too hard onto the reins, we ride towards the stables on the edge of town. My heart thumps up and down with the horse's hooves.

After dismounting in the stables, we bid each other farewell and go our separate ways. Shutting my eyes tight, I walk towards my house and enter quickly, before going upstairs and washing the dirt and sweat of this morning's ride off my body. Then, with a small gulp, I go into my room and pull on my Reaping clothes. Then, after dragging a comb through my pixie cut to try and neaten it up a bit, I go out onto the street and follow the tide of people towards the town square.

When I get there, there is already a crowd of people. I find Isla and we go and stand with the other fourteen year olds, as the escort comes onto the stage and begins prattling on about the Dark Days. Although some find comedy in her voice, it just installs more fear in me.

After a few minutes, a boy begins shoving his way through the crowd. He's one of the slaughterhouse lot; probably just got back from carving up poor little animals. I give him a foul look as he pushes past.

"Sceptor Whishart!"

He pauses. A look of shock comes onto his face. I can barely stop myself laughing- he deserves it. Sceptor makes his way up to the stage and stands there. Watching him carefully, I notice that he looks vaguely indifferent about the whole thing... I feel a rush of hatred for him.

So I suppose he's just going to go into the Games and butcher people just like he butchers animals.

The district escort goes over to the girl's Reaping ball, and fiddles around in there for a moment before taking out a slip. My heart freezes as I wait, trembling, for a name to be called.

"Eva Lash!"

It's... It can't be a coincidence. Not another one. My God. No. My eyes open wide as I barely suppress a gasp of horror as somebody makes a comment about "Not another bloody Lash.."

Sceptor shoots me a dark look as I begin to walk up to the stage.


	12. District 11 Reaping

**THORN AZELIA, DISTRICT 11 GIRL**

"Fuck you all." I grumble, rubbing my behind as I walk away from the Peacekeepers. It's always like this- I don't know if people would get away with behaviour like mine in other districts. Perhaps District 11 is just _special_. Spitting a mouthful of blood onto the grass, I go back towards the tree I was previously working at.

Beating is a regular occurrence in my district, in case you didn't know. Beatings, hangings, whippings... Nobody bats an eyelid. I saw somebody get strung up yesterday, just because they remarked that our district escort looked like a bat. So? It's true.

Gripping onto the lower branches of the rough tree, I hoist myself up and begin to climb upwards. I don't work all the way at the top, that falls to the smaller, younger kids, but in the larger branches near the bottom. There is a huge wicker basket on my shoulder.

As I begin to pick the plump fruit from the branches, I remember that it's Reaping day today. Oh well- at least we get half of today off. Sure, some poor brat is going to die. But that happens every year, doesn't it? It's happened for sixty three years, two generations pretty much. And who has done a thing against it?

Making sure I'm concealed fully by leaves, I take a sly bite out of one of the apples I'm supposed to be harvesting. It's sweet and juicy, and I roll the succulent flesh around in my mouth, savouring it. I'd be whipped again if they found out I took more fruit- I got caught, a few minutes ago, swearing about our work. Rebellious behaviour apparently.

"Well, fuckity shit." I mutter to myself, taking another, extremely purposeful bite out of the fruit. I'm sure if I actually had parents they'd try and make me more controlled in my behaviour. I've got a big mouth that tends to get me into trouble, and I really don't know how to shut up... Most people don't like me because they're worried I'll get them into trouble. Well, I don't like the people here anyway.

I've heard District 8 is pretty rebellious. Maybe I should ask for a transfer over there.

My basket is full, so I pass it down to the ground where it is picked up and transported off by one of the carts that constantly rove around. Bitterly waving goodbye to what could be a months worth of food for me, I continue picking as another basket is handed up to me.

"Eat anymore and I'll push you out of the tree." a boy says, giving me a dirty look. He's one of the brainwashed ones then, or maybe he's just afraid. He, as well as everyone else working on my tree, will be suspected if they find fruit missing. After years of whippings and beatings, I've developed a pretty high pain tolerance. Some people, the law abiding ones, have not.

"Push me out of the tree and you're coming with me, asshole." I spit back. For a second I ready myself to be thrown and cling on extra tightly, but he just sticks his middle finger up at me and keeps picking fruit. Doesn't want to get into trouble for fighting, then. Pathetic.

I continue working for a little while, before I hear the whistle that signifies quitting time. So it's the Reaping in an hour? Oh hurray. I can scarcely contain my excitement- it makes me want to piss myself with excitement.

I wonder what it would be like if I got picked... There would probably be a party. Another troublemaker guttersnipe gone in to the Games to be murdered by Careers... Hey, would it really be so bad? What have I got to lose, really? It's not like I'm ever going to get married or anything- there's no guy who'd risk it. I've got a way of pulling people into things that only ever causes trouble.

Since I'm seventeen, even though I don't have parents, I was allowed to get my own hut- it's small, with only one room, but I don't mind. It's my sanctuary, where I can be myself, and be away from the Peacekeepers and the bloody Capitol.

Kicking the door open, I slam it shut behind me and walk over to my medicine cupboard. I quickly dress the wounds from the beating this morning, before having a quick wash in the sink. Then, dragging a brush through my straight black hair, I grab some neat clothes that I will wear to the Reaping.

After I'm ready, I walk out and join the crowd heading towards the town square. It's completely packed: District 11 is a large district. I find myself squished by a bunch of eighteen year olds, and have to duck and weave to get to the registering desk. After signing myself in, I walk towards the other seventeen year olds, and wait.

The district escort, a skinny woman with hair that could probably house a small child, comes on stage and begins talking in her odd accent about the Capitol, and what an honour it is to be in the Games, etcetera. I listen patiently, waiting her to get to the point. She eventually walks over to the girl's Reaping ball and rummages for a while, trying to get the crowd in a stir.

She fails.

The strange woman pulls out a piece of paper and looks at it for a second, before saying in a tremulous voice, "Thorn Azalea!"

Wow. Well... Just wow. I clench my fists slightly and bite my lip. As I begin to walk up to the stage, I try and think good thoughts. I don't have anything to lose, really. No friends, really, no family to speak of... Will it really be so bad? I've got a couple of tricks up my sleeve. I'm not weak.

Maybe... maybe I can actually do this.

**JERRY OLDFIELD, DISTRICT 11 MALE**

Sweat rolls down my forehead as I begin to hammer yet another nail into place. Unlike most citizens of District 11, I don't work in the fields: I build houses for people to live in. It's tough work, especially in the sweltering sun, but it pays. And after moving out of my parents house a few months ago into my own hut, I need all the money I can get.

As my hammer makes one last blow into the wooden floorboard, setting it firmly into place, I smile triumphantly. It was a particularly thick plank and the nail just wouldn't go in- it was actually starting to get on my nerves. Stamping on it for good measure, I turn round to smile at one of my crew members, Luca.

"Done on that one," I say cheerily, running my hands through my dark hair. "It was a tough little bugger though."

He grins and we begin to nail in more of the floorboards. My hammer strikes again and again onto the nails, banging them into the wood as hard as I can. I take pride in the houses I build, and I like to do a good job. After all, why should some hardworking person have to live in a broken home just because I couldn't be bothered to nail a plank in properly?

After about half an hour, when the floor is completed, we stand outside and look at it with satisfied expressions on our faces. It always feels rewarding after you finish a new house, especially since it means we get extra pay tonight.

"Good work Luca, Alisanne, Asa, Bart, Jerry." our overseer thanks each of us in turn, shaking each one of our hands. He's a good man, and always treats us fairly- if we aren't working hard enough, though, he will get nasty. However, otherwise he's usually good for a chat and a joke.

He stops at me and claps my shoulder. "Good luck for the Reaping today, Jerry. Your last one, then you're done with all that."

I smile and nod, and the rest of the team cheers. They're all older than I am, even though most are smaller- years of working as a builder has made me larger and more muscular than most. As the overseer goes through the hut, checking for any flaws, the rest of the crew crowd around me and we chat. Alisanne, who is the only female in the group, gives me a hug.

"You'll be fine," she whispers in my ear, before pulling away and looking at me affectionately. She's always been like a mother to me, a lot more so than my own mother. She's retiring soon, Alisanne, and the crew won't be quite the same without her. "You just go sit through it, and in a couple of hours you'll be back here having a drink with the rest of us and never have to worry about it again."

"I'd drink to that." says Bart, a guy who looks a great deal like me. We've pretended to be brothers before, and we can even pass as twins, even though his skin is a lot darker than mine. I grin at him, cheered by their reassurances. They're good people, my crew.

Asa, who is only a year older than me, looks at the street and swears under his breath. "Damn it, Jerry, you'd better go get ready. People are starting to head out already."

They all hug me and wish me good luck, before I head back to my hut and get cleaned up. Pulling on my Reaping clothes for the last time, I grin at my dog, Bark, who is lying mutely by the door. The reason I called him Bark is because he's the quietest dog I know, so I figured I had to, for irony's sake. However, he whinnies as I make to step over him to head to the Reaping.

Reaching down to scratch his ears, I open the door and walk out, leaving him alone in the house. As I walk down the street, I look back to see his snout pressed up against the window, both of his paws on the glass. I wave at him, before turning back and beginning to follow the crowd towards the town square.

When I get there, I register and grab my girlfriend, Lilly, by the arm before leading her over to the 18 year old's section. I'm not all that worried- I only took tessera for myself, and I doubt I'll get picked. Still, I grip Lilly's hand hard as the district escort comes onto the stage, and begins her speech.

After she is done talking, she picks a girl's name out of the Reaping ball, and a pretty girl I do not recognise goes up. She doesn't look particularly bothered, although I can see a twinge of nervousness on her face. I suppose she's trying to play it cool for the cameras- if I was in her position, I certainly would be. She doesn't look weak, though, and she's seventeen... Who knows? Maybe she won't do too badly.

Then, it's the boys turn. "Delvin Willison!" the escort calls out, and I relax. I haven't been chosen, and I'm never going to have to go into the Hunger Games... Thank God. Breathing a sigh of relief, I turn about in the crowd to try and spot the unfortunate Delvin.

My eyes pick out a haunting sight.

A little boy of no more than twelve years old, hunched over with a walking stick in either hand. There are tears slowly dribbling down his face as he looks up, with swollen eyes, at the district escort in the eyes. His mouth opens and he lets out a long, drawn out wail... My heart freezes. He slowly begins to hobble towards the stage.

This... this poor kid. He can't even walk, let alone fight... No, this is ridiculous. The Capitol can't let him go into the Games. It's disgusting! But he's getting closer and closer to the stage, and as he walks past me, I notice that he has disfigured legs and feet. He walks on his toes, like a pigeon. My heart begins to ache for him.

What would the Careers do? He's tiny, ill and disabled- he wouldn't last a minute. Why should he have to die in the Hunger Games- he can't do it! How is he even going to get up onto the stage? Nobody will volunteer for him, though, nobody is courageous enough... Then, the thought hits me. I realise something. I'm big, I'm strong, I can use a hammer and other heavy weapons, like a club or something. I, unlike this poor child, might actually have a chance in the Games. For a few seconds I am silent, too scared to say anything. Then, my voice rings out over the crowds murmurs.

"I volunteer!" as quickly as I can, I walk up to the stage, and climb up there next to the girl. She gives me a slightly keen look which I return, as I watch the crippled boy begin to hobble backwards. There is a look of intense gratitude on his face and we look eyes for a second, staring at each other. Then, he walks away.

And I am left onstage.

**Yep, second chapter in one night. Might get D12 out, because I am a total insomniac. By the way, I am putting a poll up after D12 about who is your favourite character. The four who get the most votes will get POVS in the chariot chapter.**


	13. District 12 Reaping

**I'm doing this in alternating POVS since they are brother and sister, which is why it is set out differently from the others. **

**WILLIAM, DISTRICT 12 MALE POV**

I watch my younger sister as she sleeps. Since our parents died in a mining accident a year or so after she was born we've lived in the Community Home, and I've protected her all these years. A lot of the kids here are violent, or cruel, or just plain sadistic. They don't like that their parents are gone, and they make other children's life hell because of it.

She looks after me too, in a way. Since people don't tend to get along with me, as I'm a naturally cold person, she is my best friend. We take care of one another, since we have nobody else, and that's the way we both like it.

Alia is adorable in her sleep I think to myself, as I stroke a golden curl off her forehead. We don't look much like siblings, her and I, and most people don't think we are. Where I am dark and quiet, she is bright and quite confident. We're polar opposites, but we love each other anyway.

"Wake up, sis." I whisper to her, and her eyes slowly open. She yawns and looks at me for a second, before biting her lip and sitting up. She's only twelve, three years younger than me, and it's her first Reaping this year. I'm even more worried for her than I am for myself, since she's all I have left.

**ALIA, DISTRICT 12 FEMALE POV**

As I stretch my arms out, I try to ignore the feelings of worry running through my body. It's my first Reaping, and I'm only in three times. The odds are in my favour- I'll be just fine, I know it. I can't imagine what would happen if I go into the Hunger Games. I'd hide, obviously, and wait until the other, larger tributes killed each other... But what would I do then? Come out and cheerily wait to be stabbed to death?

"I'm scared, Will." I say to my older brother quietly, and he shakes his head at me. His dark hair falls in front of his eyes and I affectionately brush it away. He rolls his eyes at me and I roll mine back, before we both get out of bed and walk out of our shared room towards the bathroom. It's going to be occupied, since there are a lot of fussy teenage girls in the Community Home, but we can wait our turn.

William knocks on the door when we get there, and after a few sounds of splashing from inside, it opens just a crack and a blonde head pokes out, a look of irritation on her face.

"Occupied." she says harshly, before slamming the door hard. Will gives the door a hard look, before leaning against the wall by it, coolly staring at where the girl's head was.

"Will?" I ask in a slightly nervous voice. Occasionally he gets moody because of little things like that, and refuses to talk to me or anyone... But he glances at me and nods his head, slowly.

"Alia?" he replies, mimicking my tone and I laugh. But his face stays completely straight as he glares daggers at the door.

**WILLIAM, DISTRICT 12 MALE POV**

I stare at the door, irritated. How long do these idiotic girls need doing their hair? It's a Reaping, for God's sake, not some kind of fashion parade. I'm just about to rap on the door again, when it is flung open and some blonde girl walks out almost completely naked. She gives me a dirty look, before swishing her hair and walking across the landing to her room.

Turning to Alia, I pretend to bow her into the room.

"After you." I say in a faux Capitol accent, and she giggles and walks in. Alia shuts the door behind her, and a small smile comes onto my face. She's still such a little girl, even if she does act like my mother quite a bit of the time.

After standing alone for a few moments, I feel a gaze upon me and turn around to see one of the larger boys glaring at me, arms crossed. He looks me up and down as I recognise him- he's Yamato, a well-known troublemaker. The last person to mess with him ended up with three cracked ribs. For a few seconds I consider running, before remembering that Alia's in the bathroom and holding my ground.

"Get the fuck out of the way." Yamato says, squaring up to me. For a few moments I consider doing as he says and meekly stepping to the side, but Alia is bathing in there. I don't want him walking in on her naked- who knows what he'd do? However, I do feel a twinge of nervousness as I hold my ground, unmoving.

"What the fuck?" the huge boy says, and slams me against the door. Inside, I hear movements falter as Alia freezes. She must've heard the thud and is wondering what's going on... Mentally, I pray for her not to come out. Yamato will only beat her up too.

"My little sister's in there." I say as coolly as I can, although there is a slight tremor in my tone. For a few seconds the older boy looks me up and down, before slamming me against the door again.

"Do I look like I give a shit?" he spits, face inches away from mine.

**ALIA, DISTRICT 12 FEMALE POV**

I can hear the sound of a commotion outside. What's going on? I freeze, a hairbrush still in my wet hair as I listen intently for more. I can hear talking- it's my brother's voice and another, lower voice. Instinctively, I grab my clothes off the floor and pull them on as quickly as I can, not wanting to be caught naked. Then, as silently as I am able, I creep towards the door to listen.

There's the sound of slamming as the door to the bathroom bangs again and again. I rear away from it, not knowing what's happening... Before my eyes widen as I realise. Somebody is beating up Will. For a second I want to call out his name, but I know it'll only make the attacker more aggravated. So, during a gap between the bangings, I open the door and slip out.

Yamato, a ginormous boy with intense anger issues, is holding my brother by the neck up against the wall, throttling him. Will is clawing at his face, living great deep groves in the boy's skin, but Yamato is too strong. For a moment I just stand there, shocked, before launching myself forwards and leaping onto the attacker's back.

**WILLIAM, DISTRICT 12 MALE POV**

My attacker rears backwards, as if having a seizure, and I watch as Alia clings onto his neck, strangling him with her body weight. A small moan comes out of my mouth as I massage where his hands gripped my neck, before realising that she can't hold him down for long. Grabbing her by the arm, I pull her back towards our room.

We get there just in time. Slamming the door behind us, I lean against it while Alia grabs the handles at the bottom of her bed and pulls it up against the door, barring entry. As Yamato tries again and again to gain entry, slamming against the door with his full body weight, it doesn't budge. The two of us sit leaning against the walls, breathing hard, hearts racing.

"Well," she says breathlessly. "That's a fate worse than being Reaped, isn't it?"

After a few more moments he goes away, and I decide to skip the bathroom and just get dressed. We both change facing away from each other into our Reaping clothes, before finishing and turning around to grin at each other. Walking forwards, I ruffle her blonde curls.

"You ready?" I ask in a calm voice. There is panic written all over her young face but, very slowly, she nods. Alia grits her teeth and runs her hands quickly through her hair, before looking at me with a small smile.

"As ready as I'll ever be." she admits, and together, we pull the bed away from the door and walk downstairs. We do so quickly, so not to run into Yamato or any of his cronies, and join the flood of children walking towards the town square and the Reaping. Alia grabs my hand and grips it, not wanting to let go. Although I'm more worried about her than myself, I find myself gripping back just as hard.

We reach the town square just as the district escort gets onstage, and we have to register ourselves quickly. Then, I bid her farewell as she goes to join the other twelve year olds and I the fifteen year olds. However, I watch her closely as she joins her friends and begins to whisper with them. I can see that some of the others have been crying.

**ALIA, DISTRICT 12 FEMALE POV**

The district escort comes onstage and begins to chat animatedly about the Games and the Dark Days, and with each word I find myself becoming more and more nervous. What if it's me? It won't be, Will promised, he did... Still, a tear trickles out of my eye and I wipe it away furiously as the escort walks over to the girl's Reaping ball, ready to pull out a name.

My heart practically stops as I watch her, willing to get it over with so I can go home and get away from this place...

"Alia!"

I let out a short, cut off wail. No. It can't be me, it can't! My friends from school are crying and one girl is holding my hand tight, not willing to let me go... Slowly, I walk up to the stage. Will, you promised! You promised I wouldn't get chosen! The tears begin to drip down my face as I climb onto the stage and stand there, shaking. I can't find Will in the crowd.

The district escort then goes over to the boys Reaping ball, and is about to call out a name when I hear a lone voice cry,

"Wait! I volunteer! I volunteer!"

Seeking out the speaker in the crowd, I see with a flood of emotion that it is Will. There are tear tracks going down his face as he sprints up to the stage, pushing his way through the crowd, and scales the stage. Grabbing me in a fierce hug, he cradles me in his arms as he tells the District escort his name.

I can't believe it. He's coming in to protect me...

"I love you, Will." I whisper to him, and feel the tears starting to spurt hot and fast out of my eyes.

"I love you too, Alia. I'd do anything to protect you."

**Sorry it was short, but the Reapings are over now. Here are your tributes! I'm going to put a poll on my profile about which 4 tributes you want to have POVs in the Chariot Chapter, and it'll be up there for two days. Either vote in that, pm me, or leave it in a review who you want. **

**Thanks again, and let the GAMES BEGIN!**


	14. Chariot Parade

**THE TRIBUTES WHO HAVE POVS IN THIS CHAPTER ARE: **

**Damascus Sleik, District 1**

**James "Watcher" Ammolite, District 2**

**Matthis Elder, District 3**

**Jerry Oldfield, District 11**

**Alia, District 12**

**Congratulations to these tributes for getting the most votes in my poll. After this I will do the POVS at random. Enjoy the Chariots. **

**DAMASCUS SLEIK, DISTRICT 1 MALE**

I stand beside Emmeline in silence. We've both been dressed and made up- neither of us looks like our regular district self. It's time for the Chariots, the time where we are done up and shown off to the Capitol crowd. The idea makes me rather nervous- I've never been too comfortable with crowds like that. I can hear them roaring out there.

And the worst part? Us two are going to be the first out there, since we're from District 1. Kids from our District always show off, and usually get plenty of sponsors... But will we be able to? Neither of us are precisely typical kids from our District, and I don't think she even went to the Training Academy.

Although I don't trust easily, I can't help but like Emmeline. She's sweet, even if she did have a rather sheltered life, and she's very sad. She told me about what happened to her sister, and I couldn't help but feel bad for her, although I tried not to show it.

I have to be cold, calculating and emotionless. This is the Hunger Games, not summer camp.

"Damascus? Are you alright?" Emmeline says, shooting me a rather worried look. I realise that I was staring into space and glance at her, a bashful grin coming onto my face. Realising that other tributes could be watching and judging, however, I quickly replace it with a blank look. They have to think I'm strong, otherwise I'll be picked out as an easy target.

"I'm fine. Hopefully I won't fall asleep this time." I reply. She laughs nervously, before a particularly loud cheer from outside makes her jump. She almost jumps off our chariot which is an achievement in itself, since we're both weighed down with heavy jewels. I have a suit covered in rubies, and she has a dress completely smothered with the red stones.

"I don't know how you could bloody well fall asleep this time," my district partner says, shooting the female tribute from 2- who is laughing at her- a nasty look. Catching my eye, she mutters, "I hate the kids from 2. They're psychos."

I can't help but agree. The girl hasn't spoken much, but her atmosphere is plainly threatening. For some reason, I get the idea that if I stay with her too long in the Careers, she'll rip me to pieces. And the boy? He's even more terrifying. He's got these milky white orbs instead of eyes... No pigment to them at all.

They're unnerving, the both of them. Neither me or Emmeline have met the kids from 4, who will be our other allies, but I hope they'll be more approachable.

The cheering gets louder as I feel the chariot being spurred into motion. The horses pulling us whinny, before beginning to trot slowly forwards, pulling us behind. The huge doors leading to the Capitol streets open, and the cries and screams and cheers get even louder and louder until they are practically deafening.

Music begins, blasted from speakers everywhere, as we are pulled out into the streets. As we emerge from the Training Centre, the shouts intensify and we are pulled out into the open. I have to refrain from covering my ears as the sounds become too much and merge into one great screaming mass. The people are waving at us, calling out to us, calling our names. I hear my own name shouted so many times.

For a second I am startled. Then, my mentor Gloss' advice rattles in my head. I must make them love me, make them want to sponsor me in the arena.

So, waving my hand in the air, I smile and wave to everyone. For a few moments Emmeline stands still as a mouse before copying me- she's even better than I am. Fluttering her eyelashes, blowing kisses, and catching flowers that are being thrown at her. They love us.

For a second I forget that I'm going into the Hunger Games. All I know is that this is amazing. This feeling, as the crowds adore us, is amazing. It feels amazing, like being... like being immortal. I feel like a God! This is elation!

Catching a rose in one hand, I hear my name being called over and over again.

"Damascus! Damascus! Damascus! Damascus!"

**JAMES "WATCHER" AMMOLITE, DISTRICT 2 MALE**

I watch as the boy and girl from District 1 go out into the Capitol streets. They are standing stock still, apparently stunned by the loud music coming from there, as well as the sound of screams. My district partner, Norelle, smirks at their retreating behinds.

"Aww, they're scared." she whispers to me, as our own chariot is spurred into motion. I ignore her- I don't think I like Norelle. Initially I hoped she might be alright, being from a family of fierce Careers, but she talks too much in my opinion. Some people know when to stop. Norelle is not one of those people.

The horses begin to walk forwards and we, too, are sent out into the Capitol streets. As soon as they see us, in our golden and (in Norelle's case especially) extremely form fitting Peacekeeper outfits, they forget all about the duo from District 1. Our names are screamed, and people reach out from the bandstands to grab at us.

Norelle smiles and waves as we are expected to do, but I do not. I was firmly instructed by Brutus to try and look like I like the audience, but why should I? Staring straight ahead, I lift my chin and ignore all of the people calling my name.

I will betray no emotion. I'm not here in these Games for this ridiculous showing off- I'm in it to get my revenge. I don't give a shit if the Capitol fools don't like me. Quite honestly, they can get fucked. Why would I want them to like me, anyway? These other Careers, I don't want them to like me either. They're all as good as dead.

The kids from District 3 come out behind us, and I get a chance to look at them. They're both small, and I can't say they look like much of a threat... The girl looks plainly adorable. However I do remember she volunteered for the Games... Maybe she's a little kitten with a bite. The boy? He looks like I could kill him with a slap to the head. He's looking rather nervous.

So, continuing to glare straight forwards, I smile internally. I've got these stupid Games in the bag.

**MATTHIS ELDER, DISTRICT 3 MALE**

I can feel myself practically shivering with fear. All these horrible, looming faces staring at me like I'm some piece of meat they want to douse in sauce and eat... Shutting my eyes, I try and take my mind off the situation. What else, with the insanely loud music and horrible cheers echoing in my ears, can I think of?

Perhaps I can think about the music amps. What circuits do they use? With a couple of cells... I try and go through the circuits in my mind, attempting to distract myself, but Phox grabs my arm. with a nasty snarl. Although I'm sure to the viewers it must look like a smile, as she digs her ragged fingernails into the flesh on my arm, I know her intent. She brings her face very close to my ear and whispers in a voice laced with malice, "Smile, you stupid little pile of shit, or I'll push you off the chariot and you'll get trampled to bloody pieces."

For a second I consider her threat, before contorting my face into what must sort of look like a grin. At least, from a distance it... it might. Trying not to let them see the grimace under my wide smile, I wave as enthusiastically as I can, smacking Phox over the head accidentally (or so it may have appeared...)

She hisses in fury and moves to grab me in a stranglehold, but converts in to a hug. Throwing her arms around my neck, she throttles me whilst the Capitol awws and makes adoring noises. They think she's so sweet, but she's not! Wait till we get into the Arena, and the whole thing blows up in their faces...

When I've eventually managed to "affectionately" wrestle her off me, we've arrived at President Snow's mansion and the man himself is standing on the balcony, staring down at us imperiously. The music goes silent as do the crowd, and I can practically feel my heart pumping with terror. Phox is practically falling off the railing of our chariot, hanging onto our President's every word. I resist the urge to give her a little push and stand still.

Is he really just appearing there? Anyone could attack him- I don't think he's unprotected. So I don't have to listen to his speech and work myself into more of a panic, I look around his balcony for the telltale chink that signifies a force-field. Eventually I spot it- right on the end, there's a tiny chink. Barely noticeable from this distance, but we were taught about things like that at school.

I wonder how an assassin could use it to their advantage? Perhaps they could reflect the forcefield from the chink using some sort of reflective metal, and use it to slaughter him? That's a possibility, I suppose- our teacher told us that walking into a forcefield will give you enough of an electric shock to completely stop your heart.

Electricity, I realise, is a very powerful weapon. And a weapon that I can use.

**JERRY OLDFIELD, DISTRICT 11 MALE**

I watch President Snow carefully. He's a small, rather weedy looking man- it astonishes me, a little, that somebody like him could rule over an entire continent. I suppose he must be clever. And, as I scrutinize his face carefully, I realise something; he looks like a snake.

The words that Alisanne spoke to me after I volunteered enter my head. "Don't trust anyone, Jerry."

I ponder her words as President Snow finishes his speech and the Capitol stand up to applaud. I didn't listen to a word- we've all heard it on TV all of our lives. So I shouldn't trust anyone? I want to make allies, simply because it'll mean I'll have an easier path back home. They'll be like my crew: I'll pick allies who can support each other.

Honestly, I'm shocked at the amount of younger looking tributes here. I suppose if I hadn't volunteered for that poor, crippled little boy back in District 11, nobody would have batted an eyelid. But it wouldn't have felt right, not volunteering, and watching him get slaughtered in the Games. I would've known that I, a strong eighteen year old, could have survived a little longer.

Looking at some of the other tributes, I realise that truly, I might have a chance. From looking at the others, my main threats seem to be the boys from 1, 2 and 8, and the girls from 2, 7 and 9. The others look vaguely average. However I'm not going to count Thorn out either.

She isn't actually that bad. Although she's sarcastic and gets pretty mean, she's got a softer side that she tends not to show. And she's actually succeeded in making me laugh a couple of times with her straight-forward cynicalness, which is a mean feat since I'm not precisely joyous to be here.

As the chariots take one last lap around the Capitol square, and we are cheered for yet more, I hear a couple of words from my district partner. Turning my head, I glance at her to see a mutinous expression on her face.

"Cheering for us is like cheering criminals on the way to the hanging scaffolds," Thorn says in a dark voice. She, unlike me and most of the other tributes, has not smiled once during the entire trip round. "All these people want is a good show. If one of us dies, it won't be like a person dying. They'll just complain then go and get a fucking pedicure or whatever they call it."

I grin, shaking my head at her, before glancing around at the other tributes again. I'm still trying to size up potential allies, and since Thorn has made it perfectly clear that she's not interested in an alliance with me. Maybe the two from 12, and the girls from 5 and 6? From their Reapings they all seem like decent people. Yes, I think. They'll be in my alliance, if I can persuade them.

**ALIA, DISTRICT 12 FEMALE POV**

As we pull into the Training Academy and the doors shut behind us, I wipe the smile off my face and turn to William, who doesn't look particularly happy either. We didn't make a particular splash with the crowds, since we have terrible Stylists. Yet again, we're coal miners.

Will jumps down from the chariot and holds out a hand to help me down, before pulling me into a hug. I feel him shaking against me. He doesn't like crowds much, and the smile on his face during the parade masked a look of terror.

"You alright, Will?" I ask him, pulling my hair out of my face and looking up at him. He pulls a reluctant grin onto his face for my benefit, before nodding slowly.

"Just fine. You're wearing far too much makeup, little sis." he says in a faux cheery voice, bringing up a hand to wipe some of it away. He smudges my eye makeup mercilessly, and I laugh, batting his hand away. I must look like a panda now, with my eyeliner and mascara and whatever else my ridiculous stylist plastered onto my face.

"So are you, big brother." I mock, bringing up a hand to swipe at the eyeliner around his eyes. He laughs and ducks away, rolling his eyes, and I leap on him. We are greeted by the sound of male laughter and, looking up, I spot the boy from 11. Dropping off Will's back I smooth my hair out and try to look calm, but he isn't laughing nastily. When we're both straightened out, we walks up to us and holds out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Jerry, from District 11," he says, and immediately I am calmed by his voice. It's low and gentle, and everything that a male voice should be. "I know this is kind of forward and all, but I was wondering if you two were considering any allies for the arena."

I open my mouth to answer, but am cut off by William. He steps in front of me slightly protectively, and takes my hand in his own. "We're allying together. Why?"

Jerry seems a little bit put off by his harsh answer, before shrugging and continuing, "Well, I was wondering if you wanted to ally together... You guys, me, and hopefully the girls from 5 and 6."

Slowly, a smile comes onto my face. He's large and looks strong, and the girls from 5 and 6 appear to be pretty tough too. We'd survive better as a pack, and I'd have lots of older kids to protect me... It certainly could work. Looking at William for an agreement, I see slight misgivings on his face.

"I don't know," Will says, biting his lip a little nervously. He shoots the larger boy a nervous look, sizing him up. He looks like he could kill both of us pretty easily, and that's something we could both do without. Eventually, my brother continues, "How do we know we can trust you?"

For a few moments Jerry is silent, considering. Then, he replies, "You can't. My friend Alisanne told me, before the Games, not to trust anyone. But I figure we'd survive better in a pack, like a crew. I like being with people, and I don't like to be alone. We can watch each other's backs. Do you two really want to be alone against the Careers?"

And with that, we both know our answer. Slowly, Will nods. A smile comes onto Jerry's face.

**JAMES "WATCHER" AMMOLITE**

Norelle and I walk towards the other Careers. Two kids from 4, and two from 1; they're all clustered together, discussing something in low voices. Immediately I feel a rush of hatred for the lot of them. Careers, like the ones that killed my big brother... It occurs to me that I'll be killing most of these fuckers. I barely suppress a smirk.

When they see us walking over, the boy from 4 bares his teeth in a smile. Immediately I notice something: they're as sharp and pointed as a shark's. The other three turn out and glance at us warily. None of them are smiling.

"Hey!" the boy from 4 says, in an obnoxiously loud voice. I stifle a groan and look at him to see that he's staring at Norelle's chest greedily. Oh Mother of God. He practically sprints towards us and grabs my hand in a firm hand shake. "I'm Tom Maren from District 4, but you can call me Teeth." he bares his fangs at us both.

Then, "Teeth" turns his attention to Norelle. Swaggering up to her, he gives her what he must fondly imagine is a seductive smile. "What's your name, beautiful?" he smirks, raising his eyebrows. For a few seconds she is silent, before replying in a voice dripping with sarcasm,

"Your worst nightmare."

He blanches, looking a little shocked, before walking back to the others. We follow him to where they are, and I exchange cold glances with the girl from 4. Tom's eyes are firmly on her rear, and I'm almost certain that she hasn't noticed, when she says in a cool tone,

"Tom, if you'd like to keep your eyes in your skull, I'd suggest looking away."

At least they know how to sort him.

We do our introductions, before agreeing that we want to be allies and discussing strategy. We plan what we will do in Training tomorrow, and we are about to get onto Bloodbath plans when a large Capitol woman waddles up to us. She has dark skin, jewels inlaid in her cheeks, and is unreasonably fat.

Scarlett (the girl from 4) flushes bright red, and begins grinding her teeth as the woman grabs both her and Tom by the arm. Norelle laughs out loud, and Damascus and Emmeline from District 1 both barely contain laughter. My face stays straight, however.

"Come on, babies," she says, in an incredibly overdone voice. "Y'all need your beauty sleep."

Norelle is clutching her sides, almost rolling on the floor laughing. We say our goodbyes to the two from 4, who walk off towards their mentors. The kids from one disperse too, leaving me and Norelle with the flamboyant District 4 escort. She is standing over Norelle now, a thunderous look on her face.

Finally, when my district partner has quietened down, the woman says in a threatening voice,

"Don't you laugh at Sugar now, honey."

She then begins to walk away, following her tributes, when Norelle does a rude gesture at her back. I watch, extremely amused, knowing what will happen next. Sometimes, I cannot help but laugh at these pathetic Capitol people. However, when the large woman turns around, I find myself rooting for her.

"Bitch, please." she says coldly, before walking away.

I just stare at Norelle, highly entertained.

**Yes, before you ask, Sugar is my favourite character. This is probably the last time she will be mentioned, don't worry. Couldn't help that last part. She is Queen Latifah, before you ask. **

**Thanks for reading.**


	15. Training Part 1

**POVS IN THIS CHAPTER:**

**NORELLE WILKNER, DISTRICT 2**

**TOM "TEETH" MAREN, DISTRICT 4**

**JULIA WREVE, DISTRICT 5**

**COBAIN RENARD, DISTRICT 8**

**THORN AZALEA, DISTRICT 11**

**NORELLE WILKNER, DISTRICT 2**

After Atala, the Head Gamemaker, finishes her speech, I immediately head over to the throwing knives station. I'm excited- who can blame me? This is my first moment to shine, and show the other tributes what I'm made of, and I'm ready.

When I get there, I find that two other tributes have beaten me to it: the boy from 10 and Scarlett. They are side by side tossing knives at dummies and countless targets, already well into it. I watch both for a second, analysing their skills, before walking over to the weapons stand and grabbing a couple of small knives myself. Then, I walk over to Scarlett.

"A knife thrower are you, fish-girl?" I say coolly to her. She turns to look at me for a second, before a rather savage look comes onto her face and she throws a knife extra hard at a dummy in front of her. It hits straight on, piercing right through. A smirk comes onto my face.

"Only a question."

Her lips curl into a snarl and she gives me a harsh look as she begins throwing knives again. I take my place beside her and do the same- we're equals, it seems. I'll remember that for when we're in the Games, and maybe when it's time for her to die, I'll do it close up. Maybe she'll be less deadly when it comes to swords or fists.

After about an hour she apparently grows bored, because she walks off towards the edible plants station and starts sorting through, a bored expression on her face. I get the impression that she did so to get away from me. I smirk.

"Why does she hate you so much?" I hear a voice behind me and, turning around, I spot the girl from District 1. What was her name- Emmy? Melanie? I can't really remember. My mother told me that it's best not to know your victims names, so you can view them as inanimate objects. That makes killing them a whole lot easier.

"Because I'm better than her," I say, a small grin on my face. Raising my eyebrows at the girl from 1, I sigh dramatically. "I'm guessing you're pretty shit too, since you're from District 1..."

Her face colours at the insult and she squares up to me; rather unsuccessfully, I might add, since she's a good inch or so shorter than I am. Looking down at her with lazy eyes, I say,

"What're you going to do? Bite me?"

"Don't tempt me."

**TOM "TEETH" MAREN, DISTRICT 4 MALE**

I grin as I watch the girls from 1 and 2 arguing over by the knife stand. Now _this_ is good entertainment. It would be made even better if Scarlett was there too, so a proper cat fight could take place, as well as all three girls in the nude... With a smirk, I turn to look at the boys from 1 and 2 over by the spear throwing stand. They look reasonably comfortable with each other's presence... I'd better go tell them my thoughts.

Walking over to them, I grin widely, showing off my teeth. "Hey, guys... You see those girls? Meow or what?"

Damascus turns around to give me a cool look, but James completely ignores my being here. Did he not hear me, or something? Clearing my throat, I repeat myself slower, so he can hear me. A muscle twitches in his jaw and, without warning, a hand is pressed to my throat and I feel myself being launched backwards against a wall. James stands, inches away from me, his face bright red. There is a look of fury on his face.

"Shut it," he growls, breathing hard. "I'm trying to practise."

Peacekeepers run over immediately to break up the fight, and he is pulled off me. He walks off calmly for his punishment, not looking at me and not bothering to struggle. I stand there holding my neck, trying to ignore the intense pain coming from where he gripped me. Turning to Damascus, who is throwing another spear, I raise my eyebrows.

"What was that?!" I say indignantly, taking James' place next to him at the spear throwing stand. A heavy sigh comes from the boy from 1 and I shoot him a look. Why does everyone in the Careers alliance hate me so much? It's not fair- I haven't done anything to them. I'm only being friendly.

"Just... just shhh." says Damascus in a world weary tone, as his spear sinks into another dummy.

A few moments later, the girl from 3 joins us. She's tiny, only about thirteen, and looks absolutely adorable. I can't help but smirk at that, my bad mood gone instantly. Can she even pick up a spear? Noticing my eyes on her, she looks straight back at me and does not say anything. Not moving her eyes from mine, she picks up the spear and holds it straight then... she throws it at the dummy.

I gasp.

She's almost as good as Damascus is, and that's saying something. And when she begins to warm up to the spear, she gets better and better... She's done this before, she's not just one of those people who can learn things that quickly. When she's eventually done, she turns to shoot me an imperious look.

"Hey, you sure know how to throw." Looking over my shoulder, I realise that it was Damascus who spoke. I nod and agree, looking her up and down. Hey, she's not half bad after all- thirteen is only a year younger than me, after all... Maybe if none of the Career girls want me, she wouldn't be too bad a replacement?

"Yes." she agrees shortly, still looking at me. There's something in her gaze that unnerves me a bit, and I can't help but feel a little uncomfortable. Hey, I'm uncomfortable with a girl staring at me! I must be getting better!

"You know..." James comes back to join us, shooting me a disgusted look as he does so. The girls follow him and we crowd around the girl from 3, looking at her. She doesn't seem at all worried by as all, even though we're all bigger than she is.

"What's the deal with shorty here?" says Norelle coolly, looking the girl up and down. Scarlett laughs, and the girl from 2 shoots her a rather keen look. Hey, perhaps those two could strike something up and I... I could watch?

"She's good at throwing spears," Damascus says, in a rather emotionless tone. He gestures rather weakly at me. "We reckoned she should join the Careers."

A smirk comes onto her face. James watches her for a few seconds with his milky white orbs, looking her up and down. Then, he nods, slowly.

"If Damascus thinks you're good enough... What's your name?"

"Phox. Phox Astridei, from District 3."

James nods. "I'm James Ammolite." he replies in a cold tone. We all introduce ourselves to her one by one, until eventually, it's my turn. Holding out a hand, I smile charmingly at her.

"I'm Tom Maren," I say with a sexy smile. "But you can call me-"

"Teeth. I know."

I am put off. How the hell does she know that?!

**JULIA WREVE, DISTRICT 5 FEMALE**

I sit with my allies and stare into space. Memories of the Reaping still flash through my mind- my mother being shot in the head as blood blossomed from the wound and rolled down her face... I want her so badly. I just want to go home, and for everything to be like it was.

"Hey, Julia," Jerry, the boy from 11, says to me in a gentle voice. I turn around rather sharply but, seeing the kind expression on his face, I give him a weak smile. When I was approached this morning, along with the girl from 6- Cora- by Jerry and the siblings from 12, I was initially shocked. But I'm pleased they want me to be in an alliance with them. Think I'm worth it.

"We're splitting up. I'm going to throw axes, Will and Alia are going to firemaking, and Cora's going to edible plants... Who do you want to go with?"

For a few seconds I am silent, before nodding at Cora who grins at me. Together, we head over to the plants station and begin to sort through endless nuts and berries and roots, trying to work out poisonous from non-poisonous. It occurs to me that if I pop one of these toxic berries in my mouth, I'll die.

Should I... Should I do it?

No. I'm be condemning some other poor District 6 girl to the arena. I can't do that to another person.

A lot, over the events of the last two days, has changed about me. But not my morals, not yet. But we'll have to see what happens to them once we get to the arena.

After an hour or so of edible plants, where Cora and I chat about normal things (she prudently avoids mentioning family to spare my thoughts), we split up and Will and I go and do some knot tying together. He's friendly too, although I can tell he's distracted- he's continuously watching his younger sister across the room.

He must care about her a great deal.

"Alia... she's twelve, isn't she?" I ask him, as I manage to complete an interesting knot. He's making a jumble out of his, and I gently take it from him and complete it. For a second he is silent, still watching her as she throws a knife across the room. Then, he smiles.

"Yeah," he says, and a sad smile comes onto his face. "She's all I have left. One of us is going to die in these Games, and it's going to be me."

Realising that he'd condemned me to death with that statement, he says quickly, "Not that you don't have a chance. I didn't mean it like that..."

But I just smile at him. My mind has become unstable after what happened to my mother, and I doubt I'll get too far... Then a thought hits my mind. Calvin.

He's been coming onto me the whole time during my stay in the Capitol, telling me that in return for me "Doing something for him", he'll give me details about the arena, and make sure I have enough sponsors. All of the female winners from District 5 so far have used his "services" he told me last night, as he sidled up to me on the sofa and his hand went onto my leg... So maybe I'll have to stoop that far. I feel a tear appearing in my eye.

Right now, I'd do anything to get home. Even... even that.

**COBAIN RENARD, DISTRICT 8 MALE**

I was warned not to show off my skills in training. Cecelia told me that (as we're from a marginally outline district) that the other Districts won't expect me to be trained, and it will be a bigger shock if I save it till the arena. I must work on survival skills, of which I have few, if I want to survive in these Games.

I am currently at the fishing station with the kids from 7. They don't seem to be allies, as they are working completely separately. There's no way I'm getting in with the Careers with my strategy, so I should probably find some different allies... Looking up, I look around the room and find my eyes drawn to the girl from District 7.

It's only then I notice how absolutely beautiful she is.

Tall, with long dark hair and eyes the colour of spring. She's one girl who, if we weren't in a competition to kill each other (which we very much are), I could find myself falling in love with. Perhaps she'd be a good ally? She looks pretty strong- kids from 7, who are lumberjacks, generally are.

So, as we both walk away from the fishing station I approach her. The words of a song my mother used to sing runs through my mind at the sight of her: a song about spring and the woods. We don't have forests in District 8, just endless sprawling city and slums, so it was always a magical song to me.

"Hello?" she says cautiously, and there's a defensive tone in her voice. I'm not surprised- if I was alone and a random kid came up to me, I'd be just the same. She balls her fists, preparing herself for a fight.

"Hey," I reply, not looking directly into her eyes. I can't risk getting a crush on anybody in these Games, it would be ridiculous and pointless. Only the strong can belong, I remind myself, thinking of my father's last words to me before I got on the train here. Harsh words... I have to win this. I have to win.

"Do you want something?" she says shortly, crossing her arms in a defensive stance. Does she really think I'm going to attack her? I notice, now her fists are unclenched, that the ring and pinkie finger on her right hand are missing.

"Yeah." Why was I cursed with the disability to talk to people? It's not just that I'm nervous of talking to anyone, I'm particularly nervous to talk to _her. _I take a deep breath. "I know this is kind of sudden, but do you want to be allies?"

For a few moments she just stares at me, shocked. Then, very slowly, she shakes her head. "Sorry," she says in a flat tone. "I'm not looking for allies."

Then she walks away. I find myself looking after her, feeling a little bit hurt. Then, I shake the feeling out of my head. What have I got to be hurt about? I'd end up killing her anyway.

Atala tells us all to go out to the canteen next door and get some lunch, and we all do so. The Careers (both from 1, 2 and 4 and, surprisingly, the boys from 5 and 10 and the girl from 3) all sit together, and the rest of us mostly sit alone.

However, when I've got my tray of food and sit down, the boy from District 3 comes to sit next to me. He gives me a small nod, acknowledging my presence, before tucking into his heaped plate of stew. The girl from 11 comes and sits down too, pursing her lips at both of us. We eat in silence, until eventually, the boy from 3 turns towards me.

"I couldn't help hearing that you wanted an ally... Well... We could be allies." he says in a rather small voice. I look him up and down rather doubtfully, taking in his weak physique, until he says quickly, "Don't worry, I'm better than I look. Do you remember what Beetee did with electricity? I can do that. I'm smart. With you and me working together, we'd make a pretty formidable team."

I consider for a second. Although I'd have allies who are larger and more intimidating, he seems like an alright kid. And if he really is as smart as he claims, maybe he could be useful. Slowly, I smile at him.

"You've got yourself a deal, kid." I say.

**THORN AZALEA, DISTRICT 11 FEMALE**

I can't help but feel slightly envious of the two boys sitting at my table. They now have themselves an alliance, and I'm left with nobody. I suppose they notice me watching because they both look at me curiously.

Glancing away, I focus on the food in front of me, shovelling great forkfuls of stew into my mouth. I can hear the two of them whispering to each other and prepare myself to confront, but as I look up, the boy from 8 says,

"Do you want to join our alliance?"

I just stare at him. He wants... he wants me to join their alliance? That's... that's something of a surprise. At my blank look he hesitates, before continuing, "We could use all the allies we can get."

Weighing it up in my mind, I decide that I will. The boy from 3 is quite small but has a smart, alert look to him, and the boy from 8 is as muscular as a Career. So I nod, and a rare smile comes onto my face.

"I'm Cobain," says the boy from 8, attempting to smooth down some of his ridiculously frizzy blond hair. It sticks out in zigzags around his head, giving him a... well... electrocuted look. Noticing my gaze on his hair, he grimaces. "If we're doing nicknames, I prefer Zigzag. For obvious reasons."

I grin and turn to the boy from District 3, who is looking at me with a rather starstruck expression. "I'm Matthis," he says, mimicking Cobain who laughs."If we're doing nicknames, I prefer... Sparks."

"I'm Thorn," I reply. "And if you give me a nickname I will throw you out of a window."

And they laugh. Just like that! Why weren't these people born in District 11? I would've been so much happier if they were. Most people would take me seriously and shift away, but these two are not moving... And our table is right next to an open window! Marvellous!

"Right," says Matthis, laughing. "So we're Zigzag, Sparks, and Little Miss Window-Thrower. Fantastic."

"I like it." I answer. Little Miss Window-Thrower? Loving it.

We all head back to training, and the Sparks/Zigzag/Little-Miss-Window-Thrower alliance goes over to the fire making station. We learn, over the afternoon, a great deal of things: we learn how to throw knives, make fires out of flint and bark, and even have a little go at the camouflage.

Then, when the day is almost over and I'm rather pleased with myself and my new allies, the first day of training is over. But that doesn't matter, we've still got one to go, then the Training scores, then the interviews.

I can't say I mind it too much here in the Capitol. Plenty of food, plenty of stupid people to ridicule, and plenty of opportunity to stare at attractive boys.

As I lie back on my bed that night, I think about my allies and what we'll do in the arena. We haven't really discussed strategy yet, so we'll have to talk about it tomorrow...

Once again, I wonder if I can do this. And as my eyes drift shut, I imagine victorship.

**Well! Another chapter finished. There are three more in the Capitol (Training Part 2, The Training Scores, and the Interviews), then we're into the Games. **

**Who are your five favourite tributes?**

**Which alliance are you supporting?**

**Let me know in a review!**


	16. Training Part 2

**TRIBUTES WITH POVS IN THIS CHAPTER:**

**EMMELINE OLIVER, DISTRICT 1 FEMALE**

**RILEY DAVIS, DISTRICT 5 MALE**

**CORA COOPER, DISTRICT 6 FEMALE**

**KOYEJU SITU, DISTRICT 7 MALE**

**MARGARETH ALICE WALCOX, DISTRICT 8 FEMALE**

**CHIFFON CLOUD, DISTRICT 9 FEMALE**

**XXXX**

**EMMELINE OLIVER, DISTRICT 1 FEMALE**

There are a lot of Careers this year. I was a little bit shocked at the amount: I don't really know what James is playing at. The girl from 3 I can kind of understand, but the boys from 5 and 10? I don't know if it's his strategy, maybe, to recruit tributes and kill them off in the night, but... It would be brutal, and I don't get the idea that James is the sharpest knife in the draw. Perhaps I underestimate him.

I stand next to Damascus, who is the most agreeable, and watch the others as they do the Gauntlet. The Gauntlet is a large obstacle course, and tributes are timed in doing it. It's difficult, and I'm not sure I want to do it.

Scarlett is next up to run it now, and there is a look of fierce concentration on her face. When the Trainer in charge of it blows his whistle, she begins to run; she's very fast. Although she's the smallest, aside from Phox, out of the Careers, she has the added bonus of being very nimble. I can't help but feel some envy as she weaves between other trainers, who are bashing at her with padded clubs.

After a short while, she skids off the end and leans over, breathing hard. She is presented with a time of 9.63 seconds, and a look of pleasure comes onto her face. The girl from 4 hobbles over towards us, nursing a twisted ankle.

"That thing is batshit." she complains, and Damascus laughs. I don't- it's my turn to go now. Turning to Scarlett with a look of anxiety on my face, she gives me a small smile. "Go on, then," she says to me. Turning her eyes towards Norelle, who is behind us, she whispers, "Show the District 2 bitch what you can do."

Taking a deep breath, I turn my eyes towards the obstacle course and get myself in a position to run. Come on, Lina, you can do this... The whistle goes and I sprint forwards onto a narrow platform. Running along it, I attempt to dodge blows from trainers, and almost slip over as a club smashes into my foot, hard.

I let out a shriek of pain and fall to my knees. For a second, tears bubble out of my eyes. Then, I hear laughter. Turning behind me, I spot Phox and Norelle laughing at me, nasty smirks on their faces. For a few seconds I am still. Then, I get up. Even though my foot is burning with pain, I know I must complete this. I must regain my pride. I am not a meal.

Sprinting forwards, I get onto a thin ledge and shimmy over it, before diving forwards into a tunnel. I scramble through it, then swing over a large gap. I land on my foot and gasp in pain, but I keep running until I finally get off the end. When I do, my head is spinning. I am presented with a time of 12.34 and groan- almost three seconds worse than Scarlett. I have to sit down. A medic is called.

The medic comes over to me quickly and inspects my foot- I have a nasty bruise, but she assures me that it will be gone by the time the Games takes place. She gives me some pain killers and patches it up, after injecting it with something to apparently numb it. Then, a pleasantly cool sensation, I walk back to Damascus and Scarlett, who are conversing.

"You alright?" Scarlett says shortly, raising her eyebrows at the bandages under my shoes. I nod shortly and she nods too, biting her lip. I can tell there is more she wants to say, but her stony, emotionless exterior stops her. She walks off to go throw axes with James.

Damascus smiles at me, putting an arm around my shoulders and supporting me as we go over to the edible insects station.

"I think she quite likes you," he says cheerily.

**RILEY DAVIS, DISTRICT 5 MALE**

These Training Days have revealed something to me. I have a type.

It's pretty much a certainty I'm going to die in these Games: a day or two of crying and denying has really helped me accept it. It doesn't really feel like I'm going to my death... With this setting, it's different from death in the districts.

But the type thing. Since I'm never going to see my girlfriend again, I must as well try and have a little bit of fun while I'm here... Some of the girls are pretty hot. I managed to get into the Careers, and the four girls we have... vary. The girl from 3 is too young to be pretty. The girls from 1, 2 and 4 however, look like my sort of girls. I've got quite a bit of competition from Tom, though.

However, there is still something that haunts me. My district partner, Julia, whose mother got killed at the Reaping... Last night, she went off with Calvin. When she came out of his room, late at night, she was crying. I didn't know what to do- I should have gone to her, I know that now. But I didn't want to intrude.

So she succumbed to Calvin's promises. Poor girl.

Although we haven't really spoken, I can't help but feel some sympathy for her. Mother dead, been basically raped by our district escort...

Shaking my head, I try and focus on the subject at hand: wrestling Sceptor from District 10. He's bigger than me, and I'm currently having my head slammed repeatedly into the ground. There's a look of rather sadistic glee on his face as he does so and, when he eventually finishes and lets me get up, he looks a little putout.

"That was fun." he says normally, as if we'd just had a game of football. Giving him a slightly irritated look, I nurse my aching head. "Do you want to try another hold?"

For a few moments I am silent, before nodding, slowly. "I'll go first." I say, and we both stand opposite each other, taking up defensive positions. Lunging forwards, I grab him by the throat and force him to the ground, as we were shown by the trainers, but he's too quick: he slams my face into the mat and lets out a burst of laughter.

Getting up, I snarl, "You were supposed to let me practise, you idiot!"

For a few moments he is silent, before shrugging, uncaring. Then, a look of boredom coming onto his face, he walks off to go and play with knives alongside Phox from District 3. My pride (and face) hurt, I storm off to go and learn how to build a fire.

Has he got mental problems, or something? Can't he understand that I have to practise too? What an idiot.

**CORA COOPER, DISTRICT 6 FEMALE**

Concentrating as hard as I can, I throw the knife at the target. It hits- I've finally managed to actually hit the damn thing! I can just imagine Gala's voice in my head.

"Congratulations! You hit a target! After about seven hundred times!"

Smiling sadly to myself, I try again and, this time, get it slightly nearer the centre. I'm not nearly as good as any of the Career girls, but I'm improving. At least, now I can do it a little, I'll be able to defend myself a little better. As long as I can defend myself, I don't think I need much else: I'm not in these Games to kill people. I'm not a murderer.

Walking forwards, I go and extract my knives from the target (and the floor). It takes a little while since some of them are pretty firmly wedged in, but when I eventually get them out, I feel an air of satisfaction. Going back to the throwing post, I try again- I'm actually improving, which is lucky. I might actually have a chance at this rate. My next knife misses the target.

Is that God's way of telling me I'm screwed?

"Hey," I hear a voice behind me, and turn around to see Alia, the little girl from District 12. She gives me a friendly smile, before grabbing her own knife and throwing it at the target. She's about as good as I am, although her accuracy is a little better since she was practising yesterday as well. With a sigh of frustration as she misses, she says to me, "You have to wonder how the Careers can do this."

"Because we actually have talent." turning around, I spot the girl from District 2, who gives me a sharp look. Not wanting to make eye contact, I look at the ground. As long as neither of us aggravates her, we should be fine... We both stare at the floor. For a few seconds she stands still, wanting a fight. Then, she laughs and walks off.

Turning to Alia I sigh with relief, and wipe a bead of sweat off my forehead. "That was close. I don't need a Career having a personal vendetta against me."

"Neither."

We walk away from the knives station after that, not wanting anymore unwelcome attention. I suppose the Careers don't like it when non-Career tributes use weapons. We go over to the hammock making station and work on some hammocks for a while, and William comes to join us. I find myself a little shut out as they talk in low voices.

I stay there for a few moments, before growing tired of being shut out and going to find Jerry and Julia. They are by the shelters station, trying to work out how to make a shelter out of a plastic tarpaulin, four knives and four sticks. When I make my way over, Jerry grins at me, but Julia does not acknowledge I am there. She looks absolutely miserable.

Maybe it's because we have our Training Assessment this afternoon, and she's worried about her score? I'm a little bit worried about mine, although I doubt it will be too terrible.

"Hi Jerry, Julia." I say to them, and Jerry responds equally cheerily, although Julia only lets out a slightly non-committal grunt. I frown at Jerry, wanting to know what's going on, but he purses his lips at me and shrugs. So it must have been something that happened out of training... I let out a small gasp. The district escort from 5 is notorious for sleeping with tributes in return for sponsor gifts and hints about the arena...

I open my mouth to blurt it out, but Jerry widens his eyes at me. So he must have guessed too. I stare at him and he nods his head as if to say "I know". We both glance at Julia. Tears are rolling down her cheeks like pearls.

"You've guessed." she says in a quiet voice. Wiping the tears off her face, she turns to us and says very slowly, "You're right. But it's been worth it. I don't care anymore. Nothing can hold me back now. I know things other people don't, and I... After my mother died, something in me died too. I don't care anymore."

Giving us both a dark look, she takes a knife and begins savagely chopping at a root, a look of fierce fury on her face. Each time she chops at it, red juice comes out... I can't help but imagine it being blood. And the root being me.

I shiver.

**KOYEJU SITU, DISTRICT 7 MALE**

The Head Trainer tells us that we must stop training. She gathers us to stand round her in a circle, and I eye the other tributes: some look exhausted, others keen and bright eyed. The Careers? They simply look vicious.

We are told that we should go and have some lunch before we have our skills assessed. Most look nervous at that- personally, I'm still a little unsure of what I should show them. I've had a go with a sword and I'm not so bad, so maybe I can work with that? Yeah, I think I will. But still, I really need some allies.

Walking into the dining room, I go and collect my plate of chicken soup and bread, before looking around a little nervously at all the tables. I can spot three alliances: the Careers (not a hope in hell...), the girls from 5 and 6, the boy from 11 and both from 12, and the smallest alliance containing only three. The boy from 3, the boy from 8 and the girl from 11.

I decide I'll try them. They look the most approachable.

Walking over to them, I hover behind the boy from 8 who appears to be their leader. When he notices my presence and turns around, a slightly bemused look comes onto his face.

"Hey?" he says- his voice is more cautious than unfriendly, however. How should I ask to be in their alliance? Ask up front, or try and start a conversation? For a few moments I dither, before shrugging and saying,

"Hey. Can I sit down?"

"I guess."

I do so. We eat in silence- I suppose they can't discuss strategy in front of me. The girl from 11 is beginning to look a little irritated. It's just when she opens her mouth to say something, that I say quickly,

"I was wondering if I could join your alliance. I'm okay with a sword, I can take care of myself and I can fish well... So... Can I?"

They just stare at me, all looking a little alarmed by my sudden outburst. The boy from 3 looks like he's been hit in the face with a rubber chicken. The girl from 11 breaks the silence.

"No," she says flatly. "Three is enough. Anyway, he doesn't know our strategies or anything."

"I vote yes," says the boy from 3, looking at the boy from 8. "If he can fish, then that's a good way for us to get food... I mean, none of us can really hunt."

"Cobain can hunt with his bow and arrows," says the girl from 11, to the boy from 3. "And I can identify fruit. We don't really need fish."

They argue for a few moments, making points and then contradicting themselves before eventually, they decide. The girl from 11 turns towards me, a slightly putout look on her face. "You can join," she says a little gruffly. "But if you backstab us, I swear I'll run you through."

There is a few seconds of silence. Then, the boy from 3 says happily, "Now that's over, welcome to the alliance. My name is Matthis, he's Cobain," he points towards the boy from 8. "And she's Thorn. She's a bit crabby, but she's alright really."

I nod and laugh as she rolls her eyes. Holding out a hand to each of them in turn, heart bursting with pride, I say, "I'm Koyeju."

**MARGARETH ALICE WALCOX, DISTRICT 8 FEMALE**

We are called in one by one for our assessments. I'm not in an alliance- I don't really see the need to be. I'd survive better alone. The boy from 1, I don't know his name, has been watching me quite a bit. I don't know what he wants- most people don't notice me because I keep to the shadows. I watch, I do not intervene.

"Margareth Alice Walcox!" my name is called. Getting up, slowly, I walk out of the canteen and back into the training room. It has been set up differently- the Gamemakers are sitting on a balcony, in full view of where we are. They all look a little bored, and some aren't even paying attention.

Walking to the centre of the room, I introduce myself before walking over to the knife stand. I shove a few in my belt, then grab a blowpipe. Standing in front of my dummies, I crouch to the floor and begin darting them. I do a forward roll to the side and blow a dart half way through. Then, taking a knife out of my belt, I throw it as hard as I can towards a dummy on the other side of the room.

By some sheer fluke it lands straight into it's stomach (I was aiming for it's head- goes to show how "good" I am with throwing knives), and a few of the Gamemakers applaud. Out of breath, I stand back and smile, thoroughly pleased with myself.

I think that might actually be the best I've ever done it!

After thanking them, I walk out of the room and get in the elevator to go up to the 8th floor where I am staying, shaking with excitement. I might actually do alright- it would be good to get a seven. I don't want to stick out, because I don't want to be noticed.

However, just as I am walking through the lobby towards the elevator, I am stopped by the sound of a voice.

"How did you do?"

Glancing forwards, I spot the boy from 1. He's waiting for the lift, leaning against the wall with an unreadable expression on his face. Freezing for a few seconds, I stare at him. Then, I reply in as small a voice I can muster,

"Alright."

Walking over to the lift, I stand as far away from him as I can, not wanting to aggravate him or draw attention to myself. However, I can feel his eyes upon me the whole time. We get into the lift and I feel my heart beating against my chest, scared he's going to attack me. But he does nothing.

And when he gets out at his floor, he doesn't look back.

As soon as he's gone, I collapse down onto the floor, breathing hard. The terror I felt just then was unmatchable.

I thought he was going to kill me.

**CHIFFON CLOUD, DISTRICT 9 FEMALE**

I settle myself down on the sofa and smile, anticipating. I think I did reasonably well in the training assessment- I ran the Gauntlet in just over nine seconds- I beat the girl from 4 by a couple of milliseconds, and she had the high score before... I'm hoping for a seven, or maybe even an eight. Sam and I sit next to each other, anticipating, and waiting for the scores to come on TV. He grins at me.

"How'd you think you did?" he asks, an excited smile on his face. I lie back against the pillows and shrug, trying to appear modest.

"No idea," I reply. "I did the Gauntlet and I think they liked me..."

"Oh I did pretty well," Sam grins, and a proud look comes onto his face. "I got a scythe and literally just beat the living shit out of the dummies."

He laughs and I turn away from him, unamused. I don't like him very much- not because his not likeable, but simply because I don't like people who try too hard to be funny like that. Plus he's a downright prep, which is pretty cute, but he can be really strange. For example, he came and started talking to me about turtles, and I'm not entirely sure why.

The TV switches on and Caesar Flickerman up on the screen. This year he is bubblegum pink and looks rather alarming. It's difficult not to laugh, especially since our district escort is watching him with such adoring eyes, but I manage not to. I really dislike my escort- I've never been good with people, but she's an absolute psycho.

"And the scores... Damascus Sleik with a score of... 9! Emmeline Oliver, with a score of 8. James Ammolite with a score of 10."

Ten? My God, that James boy must be pretty tough, then. Ten is a pretty difficult score to get, and not many people at all get it... he must be particularly good, in that case. I'll need to watch out for him in the arena, since I haven't bothered with allies. Which one is he? Is he the tall one with the dark hair, or the one with the freaky eyes?

"Norelle Wilkner with a score of 10."

Another ten. Looks like District 2 is pretty tough this year, then. They must really be celebrating right now. I would be- I'd be throwing a party.

"Matthis Elder, with a score of 6. Phox Astridei, with a score of 8. Tom Maren, with a score of 8. Scarlett Coppercroft, with a score of 9..."

Hey, these scores are pretty good. And a girl from District 3 got an eight, which is pretty rare. She looks like the sort who'd be getting a one more than anything else, with how sweet she looks. She must be a total psycho.

The rest of the scores go past. The lowest score goes to Zero Hobbes from District 6, who gets a three. I'm not surprised- he's the smallest tribute by far, and looks to be the weakest, too. He's going to get slaughtered in the arena.

But then again, so are 22 other people.

**Aww, poor Zero. Seeing any pairings you want to happen so far? I've got two up my sleeve (from this and the last chapter you can probably see with whom...), but let me know if you want anymore. **

**Review, please! Next chapter is the interviews then... ARENA TIME**


	17. Interviews

**Just to say, I've fucked up a lot of the name spellings. I just remember them as being spelled differently... Apologies to those who I have done wrong- if you want me to change the spellings at this point, then I will. **

**TRIBUTES WHO HAVE POVS IN THIS CHAPTER:**

**Phlox Astridei, District 3 Female**

**Scarlett Coppercroft, District 4 Female**

**Zero Hobbes, District 6 Male**

**Katara Winslow, District 7 Female**

**Sam Xavier, District 9 Male**

**Eva Lash, District 10 Female**

**PHLOX ASTRIDEI, DISTICT 3 FEMALE **

I growl as my stylist tightens my dress. I don't like being touched at the best of times, and this is a strange Capitol man. It's far too tight- it's beginning to cut off my breathing. Resisting the urge to take the ridiculous man by the throat and throttle him, I barge forwards, away from his prying fingers. He gives me a hopeless look.

"Alright, Phlox, just go out there and... and don't threaten the audience."

It's interview night. The stupidest night of the lot- we go out there and try and make the audience like us. Well, won't this be a laugh... Not. Seriously, why would I want to make those painted fools like me? As if friendliness is going to change anything in the arena... The media ruins these Games.

I watch the boy from 4, who is standing behind me in line with a rather uncomfortable look on his face. Now he... He's attractive. The sort of boy who could win too... But he'd only manipulate me. I don't understand why he's so frightened.

Matthis (or as I have nicknamed him, the Weakling), is looking awkward in a suit a couple of sizes too large for him. It basically dwarfs his small figure and makes him look even smaller. When he notices me staring at him, he shoots me a look.

"Excited for the interviews?" he says in a small voice. With a snort, I toss my hair out of my face and glare at him. I have not forgiven Copper for not volunteering- he let this idiot come into the Games with me? And when we were watching the recaps of the Reapings, and Matthis started laughing at "my face when Copper didn't volunteer", I punched him.

Beetee had to restrain me. And I knocked the old man's glasses askew.

"No. They're a load of media influenced shit." I reply to him, and he raises his eyebrows and sighs, turning away from me. My blood boils- I really do hate Matthis. He thinks he's so special, just because he's clever... Well, being clever won't help him in the Games. I'll rip his smart little brain out.

I hear the sound of the theme music onstage, and watch as Caesar Flickerman comes on, waving at the crowd as they roar his name. So the shitfest has begun. Oh hurray. Well, I'll make sure to mention Copper and how much of a coward he is- and I don't care if the whole District sees. He deserves it, the filthy piece of yellow slime.

Well, I've decided on my angle- I'm going to be defenceless, just to add for the effect when I go crazy in the arena. The crowds will be surprised, and that will make me more interesting... Weak and pathetic. How am I going to explain the eight I got in training? Urm... Conveniently not remember it. I think that's probably the way forward.

Damascus, from District 1, goes onstage to loud applause. He's a crowd favourite because he's attractive- I don't think that's all that fair. How do they know he's not just a gorgeous but useless guy? He's not, he's actually quite a threat, but you know... I don't think it's right to be judged on looks.

Although it certainly helps me out when I'm trying to be the cute little girl.

He's actually very good- polite, but with cold undertones. The audience is mystified and entranced with him, and when he goes off, plenty of the Capitol women scream with excitement. Emmeline (or Lina, as she likes to be called...) is just as good, although she's a lot sweeter and more open. It works to her advantage, though, and the crowds adore her.

James goes on, and the crowd loves him- he's the perfectly strong, typical Career leader. And he doesn't smile once, nor do his pure white eyes leave the crowd as he speaks in his low voice. Norelle is similarly threatening, although they is a little more sarcasm to hers. They're both audience favourites- everyone loves the violent ones. Then, it's Matthis' turn.

Inexplicably, the crowd actually likes him. Apparently, he's "cute". He goes off into techno drivel a few times and manages to confuse everyone, but Caesar occasionally interrupts him to comment how adorable he is.

When he comes off, a proud smile on his face, I snarl at him. It's my turn now, and I'm really not looking forward to being a cute little girl... Caesar announces me and I walk on to loud shouts and applause. Putting a sweet smile on my face I walk forwards and, shyly, bat my eyelashes.

Hey, this isn't so bad.

"So, Phlox, how are you today?" Caesar asks me, beaming down with those ridiculously white teeth of his. I pause for a second, thinking of an answer a sweet little girl might give, I shrug and smile.

"I'm very flattered, Caesar, to be here in this lovely city." I say, smiling widely. Although I volunteered and got an 8 maybe... maybe I can convince these people I'm cute? If I do this interview properly, I might actually manage it... Sure people will think I'm deranged, but isn't that a good thing?

The interview continues and it goes well- the crowd loves me. So they really are that stupid. The people back home in District 3 must be screaming for these idiots to see sense...

Hahahaha.

**SCARLETT COPPERCROFT, DISTRICT 4 FEMALE**

God, that Phlox girl is a total prat. Why is she twirling around and giggling on stage? The Capitol is practically lapping it up. But she's... she's a psycho! It's so tempting to just go out there and scream it at them, but I'm not sure a random girl going onstage and shouting abuse about another tribute would look too good.

Turning to Tom, I roll my eyes. "What is she bloody playing at?" I ask. I've warmed to him a little bit- although he's disgustingly perverted, obnoxious and you name it... he's from home.

He shakes his head, a slightly nervous look on his face. "She stalks me. It's a little bit frightening..."

Rolling my eyes at him, I cross my arms and a small grin comes onto my face.

"Yeah sure. Admit it, Tommy, you want to get in her pants."

Tom smirks and his eyes wander to where my own pants are under my dress. Giving him a foul look, I hear the applause going as she walks off and shoots us both a triumphant look as she walks past. It's very difficult not to stick a middle finger up at her back.

Then the applause starts again as Tom goes up, and tries to pull off funny for his interview. It's actually kind of cute, especially since he fails miserably, but at least he's trying. The audience laughs at least, even if nobody else does.

It's my turn. As I walk on, Tom pats my ass and I swat his hand away, shooting him an angry look. It's only then that I notice I'm on camera.

Quickly, I convert my facial expression from pissed off to a wide smile. I can just imagine Babette laughing at me back home. Walking onstage, I get loud applause. My heart freezes for a second out of stage fright, before I manage to sit myself down. The lights are shining so brightly that my eyes feel like they're about to blow up.

"Welcome, Scarlett! Welcome. Now, I must say, you look absolutely beautiful this evening..." Caesar says, and raises his eyebrows, expecting a reply. For a second I'm silent, stumped for what to say, before I reply,

"Thanks." Oh very imaginative, Scarlett. Thanks. My angle is supposed to be sarcastic and cynical, and I'm allowed to insult the audience. Hell yes! Although it's supposed to be "comedically rude", I can't be bothered with that. I'm a Career, so I don't need to worry about sponsor gifts. If I kill enough people in the arena, then I'll do just fine.

"Tell us a little about your life back home." Caesar smiles. Does he ever stop smiling? His face kind of looks stretched... I don't know much about surgery, but I presume, from the unnatural look to his face, that he's had some. Oh well. I quite like the flamboyant television host, I realise.

"Oh, I spent a lot of time with my sister Babette," I reply, and give the camera a slightly withering look. "She's probably pissing herself laughing at me right now."

"Why?"

"This dress makes me look like I've had boob surgery."

And the Capitol audience actually laughs... I wasn't expecting that. So I can be as crude as I like, and nobody cares? Well then, I think I'll mention the fact I killed a kitten and that my older sister drinks blood.

Caesar laughs loudest of all, and claps my arm. "Wow! Cover your children's ears, ladies and gentlemen!"

I grimace. "I'd suggest it. I'm from District 4, I was raised on swears. Wanna hear some more?"

I reel off a list of profanities and the Capitol loves it. How... what? They are laughing... God, my mother is going to murder me when... if... I get home.

That'd be something. Coming out of the Hunger Games, only to be murdered by your mother for swearing like a Guardsman on live TV.

**ZERO HOBBES, DISTRICT 6 FEMALE**

I watch the District 4 girl with quite some admiration. She is literally sitting onstage and swearing- I wish I had the confidence to do that. Not the bravery as such, but... She has got to have the filthiest mouth I have ever heard in my life.

She comes offstage to huge catcalls and applause, with a slightly shocked look on her face. She turns to the boy from 5, who is part of the Careers, shaking her head in amusement. He says something to her and she laughs, before barging past me towards the elevator.

The District 5 tributes go on next- the boy is good, keeping up a firm banter with Caesar. The crowd, who is still laughing from the girl from 4, laughs at every word he says. That's good: they're in a cheerful mood.

Because I'm literally shaking.

I don't want to go on that stage. The lights, the cameras, the gigantic audience... I embarrassed myself in training, in the Reaping... And now I'm going to embarrass myself in this interview, too. Gritting my teeth, I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn around to see Cora giving me a nervous look.

"It'll be fine," she says quietly. Although we're not allies, since I don't want to burden myself on her, I like to think of us as friends. Well, I like her. "Just go up there and show them what a nice person you are. You'll be okay."

It's the girl from 5's turn now, and she goes on and immediately has the audience in tears. She'll get a lot of sympathy sponsors, since her mother was killed at the Reaping. But then, when she comes off, I freeze. It's my turn.

I am announced and, very slowly, I walk onstage. Everyone's eyes are upon me. It's very difficult not to run for the hills, but I make myself sit down and shake Caesar's hand. I can see my face on a large TV screen- my eyes are wide with terror. I look like a mouse.

"Hello, Zero! Don't worry, now, it's only me..." Caesar says, patting my shoulder affectionately. I give him a wide eyed look before attempting to calm myself down. _It's fine. _

"Hi." I say quietly, and the whole audience resounds with 'aww' and 'isn't he sweet'. Glancing towards them like a rabbit caught in the headlights, I wait for Caesar's next question.

After it's all done, I walk off feeling slightly better about myself. Although I only got polite applause, maybe I'll get sympathy sponsors? If I survive the Bloodbath at all, which is questionable. Cora laughs kindly as I walk past, and squeezes my arm.

"You're shaking like a leaf." she says. I give her a tight lipped smile before walking out into the lobby. I can hear the other tributes whispering about me. Bowing my head, I try not to cry, gritting my teeth. I cannot show any more weakness than I already have.

**KATARA WINSLOW, DISTRICT 7 FEMALE**

The girl from 6 goes on and does a pretty good interview- she talks about her best friend Gala from home, and gets a nice applause. She's confident, which is good, and better than I'll be... I don't really know what I'm going to say. After being humiliated by Tobee at the Reaping (which Caesar will no doubt want to talk about...), I'm worried that I'll get aggressive. I'm not fantastic at talking to people in the first place, but after the Reaping...

The district 8 boy who asked me to be in an alliance with him is behind me. Sometimes, I wish that I'd joined his alliance. There are four of them, and they look like they might do well. Plus there's just something about the boy from 8... Cobain. I don't know what.

But I don't need boys. I'm just fine on my own. And if I die... Well, there must be a reason why, right? Nothing happens for no reason. Tobee broke up with me because he wanted to fuck Harrow. See?

It's Koyeju's turn, and he gives me a slightly anxious look before stepping up to the stage. As soon as he's on there he's okay, though, and the Capitol women seem to love him. He's chatty and has a positive presence onstage, and even has a bit of a flirt with a woman in the front row. When he steps offstage, there is a wide smile on his face.

Then it hits me like a ton of bricks.

It's my turn now.

Swallowing hard, I remember my angle. I've got to be strong minded, but still sweet. My mentor had a lot of trouble deciding an angle for me since I am not one of those people who can just step onstage and be positive. I think she was worried that I was going to start insulting Caesar, but I think the girl from District 4 has covered that nicely. A grin comes onto my face at the memory of the words "shitfaced fuckbuckle", and I wedge it firmly in place.

Although it probably makes me look like I'm drugged, at least I'll look happy.

I walk onstage with the grin (or grimace- whatever you call it) still firmly plastered on my face, and the crowd stands up to cheer. Hey, maybe they're sorry for me because of what happened at the Reaping? I'm going to show them that I don't care, that I'm just fine without a boyfriend.

I'm going to support myself. Then maybe I'll get home. A spark of hope fills me, and the fake grin is replaced with a real smile.

Caesar shakes my hand and sits me down. He does, as expected, ask me about Tobee at the Reaping, and I manage to explain reasonably well what happened, drawing several sighs from the audience. However I change the subject as quickly as possible, and we get onto strategy in the arena.

"Are you in any alliances, Katara?" Caesar asks, giving me a very serious look. For a moment I consider, before replying,

"No. Cobain from District 8 asked me to join his alliance, but I said no. I'd rather go it alone."

At the name Cobain, some of the Capitol women started catcalling and squealing. Caesar laughs and quietens them down, before the interview continues. However, he eventually gets back to the Cobain thing.

"So... why did he ask you to join? Do you have any special skills, or is he..." the pink haired man winks roguishly at me, and I find myself slightly confused. What is he talking about?

Then, before I can answer, the buzzer that signals the end of my interview goes and I walk off to loud applause and wolfwhistles. Cobain is standing backstage looking a little uncomfortable- our eyes meet quickly as he walks forwards to take my place onstage.

**SAM XAVIER, DISTRICT 9 MALE**

The crowd adores both tributes from 8: the boy admits that he enjoys singing. Turn up for the books or what? I'd presumed he'd say "electrocuting people", or "torturing small animals", but apparently not. He even sings for the audience, and he's actually got a pretty nice voice. Husky and low, but interesting. The girl? She's a bit of a rebel princess type, and the Capitol laps it up.

Next it's my turn and I walk quickly onstage with a winning smile. The crowd enjoys my interview although there are plenty of rather confused titters throughout. My angle is "random but funny", and some of my jokes lean on the more "random" side.

"So Sam, being from District 9, some people in the audience have nicknamed you "Grim Reaper"... What do you think about that nickname?"

"Well, if they want to call me Grim Reaper then that's just fine. Thing is, all I've ever reaped is wheat. So unless you can murder wheat, then I wouldn't think I'm much of a Grim Reaper..."

And that's pretty much it. Caesar looks a little relieved when I eventually walk off, but the Capitol audience is all laughing. When I get backstage, I decide to hang around for a little bit and watch some of the other tributes. There's no rule saying we can't and, anyway, I'm pretty nosy. Chiffon goes on and she's sarcastic and makes a couple of very rude jokes, although they don't quite beat the girl from 4.

I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life. The shocked faces of some of the people in the crowd made it even better- as well as her own shock that people were laughing. I get the feeling she meant every word.

When Chiffon comes off, she gives me a slightly strange look.

"What're you hanging around for?" she asks, raising her eyebrows. For a few moments I just stare at her, before replying in an "isn't it obvious" voice,

"Because I want to watch the other tributes. Learn stuff, you know."

She rolls her eyes at me, before grabbing my arm and pulling me through the crowd towards the elevator, laughing all the way.

**EVA LASH, DISTRICT 10 FEMALE POV**

I come offstage with a relaxed smile. It went fine, just fine. Caesar asked me about how my family always seems to be chosen for the Games, and I managed to keep my answer from being offensive. Some of the remarks I made about the Capitol were a bit snarky, sure, but after the girls from 4 and 9, I don't think I'm too memorable in that respect.

Sceptor was not a crowd favourite- good. He deserves it, especially since he's a slaughterhouse worker. He started talking about his job back home and disgusted the audience, and he actually got booed! Well, at least it's not only me who thinks he's disgusting.

I decide to wait till the end- might as well watch the remaining tributes before going back up. I've actually learned quite a lot from listening to them talk. And some of the things can help me in the arena.

The boy from District 11- I think he's called Jerry?- goes on first, and he's immediately a crowd favourite with his happy presence and laid back attitude. I suppose the fact that he looks like he could kill a person by squeezing their head is a bonus, but his personality is mostly what does it.

When he eventually comes off, to loud, rousing cheers, there is a slightly sad smile on his face. Our eyes lock for a few moments, before he walks past me towards the elevator. There's only three tributes left now- the girl from 11, and both from 12.

A brother and sister? I wonder which one of them will die first.

The girl from 11 goes on and is another snarky one, although hers is more sarcasm than outright crudeness. She makes a couple of really witty jokes, and the audience (who are all slightly bored by this point) seem to enjoy it. She gets a good applause as she walks off.

Next it's the boy from 12, and I can tell the crowd are starting to get restless. They want to go home, I realize, and they aren't too interested in the kids from the outer district... However, they show a vague interest in his story about how he'd do anything for his sister Alia, and he is warmly received. Caesar gives him a one armed hug of genuine liking before he walks off.

Then Alia goes on, and everyone coos about how cute she is. She is actually quite cute looking, but personally I'm sorry for her brother. And admiring. He sacrificed himself to save her, and that takes quite some bravery.

Finally, the interviews finish and I head back up to the tenth floor. The kids from 12 get in the same elevator together, and talk in low voices about tomorrow. It's... it's the Games tomorrow. They start tomorrow morning.

Suddenly, I begin to feel sick. It feels like the elevator is closing in on me, trapping me in this place... My heart begins to pound faster and faster, and my head spins with anxiety. I don't want to die! I want to go home and be with the horses and my family and friends... I want to be free.

Who knows what kind of arena they'll put us in? What if it's enclosed... I think I'd go mad if I couldn't be outside.

Wouldn't we all?

**Next chapter is the Bloodbath... Boy oh Boy am I excited :) **


	18. Bloodbath

**TRIBUTES WITH POVS IN THIS CHAPTER:**

**Emmeline Oliver, District 1 Female**

**James "Watcher" Ammolite, District 2 Male**

**Cora Cooper, District 6 Female**

**Koyeju Situ, District 7 Male**

**Sceptor Whishart, Distict 10 Male**

**Thorn Azalea, District 11 Female**

**Emmeline Oliver, District 1 Female**

I step into the tube with a shiver. I... I can't believe it. I'm going into the Games- something most people in my district have prepared for all their lives. Not me. I plant both hands against the glass of the tube and bang on it, trying to escape. I don't want to do this!

For a few seconds I just smash my fists against the sides, shocked that the glass isn't smashing with every blow, before I feel the tube beginning to rise. My stomach lurches at the sudden movement as I am plunged into darkness. I try and smash my way out once more, punching and kicking at the sides.

Light begins to appear, although it's very dim. I can see my hands, now; they are pale and plain. Not murderer's hands; they're only my hands. Only my hands. In my terror I repeat to myself again and again that I am not a murderer.

"I'm not a murderer... I'm not a murderer... I'm not a murderer..." I whisper to myself, trying to implant it in my own head. But I'm a Career, which is as good as being a murderer in anyone's book. I'm not going to kill in these Games, I couldn't, but I'll have to watch other people do it...

Oh hell.

I will be strong. I will not show the other Careers that I am an easy target. Luckily for me, the others have decided that I don't have to kill anybody; I asked Damascus, who I trust, if I could run and collect supplies. He said yes, meaning I don't have to participate in the fighting. He wouldn't tell any of the others that I'm scared to kill.

In these Games, he's the closest thing I have to a friend.

Then, I find myself being pushed out into the open... And gasp at what the arena is this year.

It's a huge cavern, with two exits leading to who knows what. A small door at either side that could only fit about one person at a time... I wonder what they lead to? But this cavern... this cavern is truly amazing. Enormous, with a ceiling as high as a cathedral, with towering black stone walls. Rocks are littered everywhere, and there is a black metal Cornucopia resting in the centre, surrounded by a shallow moat.

I can hear the sound of the river splashing, and I turn my eyes to it. It's murky and I cannot see the bottom- I wonder what horrors the Gamemakers have concealed in there? Making a mental note to jump over it rather than paddle through, I glance at all of the other tributes.

Some look ready, others scared, others downright terrified. I glance around for the other Careers- I can't spot Phlox, Sceptor, Riley, Tom, Norelle or Damascus, but Scarlett is about four to the right of me. She gives me an excited smile and I do my best to return it. How can she be so ready for bloodshed?

"Tributes! Unfortunates!" a voice echoes through the cavern- the voice of the legendary Hunger Games announcer Claudius Templesmith. He sounds gleeful at the start of another Games, and I can imagine the anticipation flooding through the Capitol right now. "Let the 63rd Annual Hunger Games... Begin!"

Then, the countdown begins. Sixty seconds until we can let loose and start murdering each other. As each second goes past I get more and more anxious.

10... 9...

Oh God... Oh God... In about ten seconds the bloodshed will begin. Why does it have to be this way? Why?

Then, a loud, ear splitting bang goes through the arena, signalling the beginning of the Games. For a few seconds I am still, too shocked to move, before I begin to sprint towards the Cornucopia, following most of the other tributes. Some choose to run towards one of the doors either side of the cavern, not wanting to get caught up in the rush afterwards. But I have a job to do.

I'm fast, luckily for me, and I'm one of the first to get to the moat. Taking a running leap over it, I stagger onto the hard ground the other side and breathe for a few seconds, before the sound of screaming hits my ears.

Turning around I spot Riley, the boy from District 5, staggering around in the water trying to evade something... He's screaming loud enough to shatter my ears and blood is trickling down his legs from huge bite marks... He grabs at me and I take his hand, pulling him from the water, only to see that my previous thoughts about the moat were correct.

A fish is hanging onto his leg, teeth embedded in his flesh, and is flapping around in the air.

"God!" I cry in shock as the fish begins to bite deeper and deeper into his leg, ripping away at his flesh. His agonized screams grow even louder, mixing with other tributes' yells of horror as they are attacked by fish and humans alike. I kick at the fish, disgusted, and it flies through the air and back into the water.

The flesh on Riley's leg has been torn away in strips, and is only patchy now. I can see his bone sticking jaggedly from the mess of his ruined flesh, and blood is dripping from the horrible wound. I want to help him, but I can't. I have to help myself. He might not die- it won't kill him as long as he doesn't bleed too much...

I run to the Cornucopia.

**JAMES "WATCHER" AMMOLITE, DISTRICT 2 MALE**

I grab a kukri in either hand from the Cornucopia. Most tributes are still stranded one side of the moat, as they don't have long enough legs to jump over without getting ripped to shreds by the fish muttations in there. That's perfect for me- they're defenceless and weaponless.

Scarlett, Damascus, Norelle, Emmeline and I are the only ones who have been able to get over onto the island, and we've got it defended. None of the other tributes will be able to get to it. We're all armed to the teeth now and grinning maliciously; as soon as any of the tributes jumps onto the island, then they're dead.

Apart from the other Careers... at this point in time.

Scarlett, bored with waiting, takes a running jump back over the moat, knife in one hand, scythe in the other. The tributes scatter with yells from her, running... but one is not quite fast enough. The little boy from District 6.

She grabs him by the throat and lifts him off his feet, giving him one last smirk... she raises her scythe, swings it through the air and then... _Boom! _The cannon sounds as his head rolls onto the ground, a look of terror on his face.

This triggers the rest of us to start attacking with his death. We surge into where the other tributes are and begin attacking, all of us apart from Emmeline who is still on the island. A couple of tributes break through and get weapons and packs, but plenty are left defenceless as we begin to attack. I come face to face with the boy from District 9, who is desperately trying to run, a bloody gash on his face.

He turns around on seeing me and faces me with a huge scythe, a look of terror on his face. He swings wildly at me but I block the blow easily and kick him hard in the chest. He falls backwards with a cry and I bring both of my kukri down to stab him through the stomach. _Boom! _

Running back to the Cornucopia, I notice that the boys from 8 and 3 and the girl from 11 are gathering weapons, and Emmeline hasn't noticed. I scream for her to turn around and she does so, and the two of us run towards the three tributes.

They scatter, all three of them, but they have weapons and packs. They get over the moat quickly, and run towards a door on one side of the cavern. Turning back to Emmeline with a snarl, I push her out of my way. How could she not notice them!?

A couple of the other tributes have already got away, and Riley is still on the floor bleeding out and screaming with agony. I smirk at him as I run back to where the fighting is, wanting to join in again. The boy from 11 has a huge hammer and I instinctively run towards him, seeing him as the largest threat.

Covered in blood, I smile to myself. _This is what I was born to do..._

**CORA COOPER, DISTRICT 6 FEMALE**

"Jerry, look out!" I scream at my ally, who has not noticed that the boy rom 2 is sprinting towards him with his weapons held high, ready to attack. Jerry spins around wildly, searching for where the boy is, but is almost too late.

The boy from 2 lunges forwards to stab him through the heart, but Jerry dodges just in time, blocking his blow with his hammer. They begin to fight in earnest, so nearly hitting each other. My heart is on edge as I stand dithering by the door, not sure what to do.

Their weapons are going too quickly, and they are brawling too madly for us to help. Then, I gasp and scream out another warning. The girl from 2 is creeping up behind Jerry, a garotte held in her hands.

"Jerry!" the girl from 2 slings the garotte round his neck and yanks it backwards, letting out a cruel laugh as she does so. I sprint forwards to help, but somebody steps in my way and pushes me backwards. I fall, sprawling, to the ground and almost drop the knife in my hand. The girl from 4 stands over me, a horrible smile on her face.

"Where d'you think you're going?" she says nastily, bringing her foot up to kick me in the face. I roll over and avoid her and she lets out a snarl of fury, before a fist comes smashing round to hit me in the face. Reeling backwards, I feel the metallic tang of blood in my mouth from her blow. For a second I'm stunned. Then, anger floods into me.

"You bitch!" I shriek at her, thrusting my knife forwards to stab her through the guts. She dodges just in time though, and laughs madly, bringing her knee up hard between my legs. I drop to my knees, wincing from the pain, and she brings both her scythe and knife to my neck.

"Say goodbye to your head." she hisses, and for a second, I think she really is about to do it and brace myself. Then, she is pulled backwards by some great force and I spot Jerry. He has her in his arms and is holding her in a great, terrible bear hug. For a second I think he is going to strangle her to death, but he lets her go at the last possible moment and drops her to the floor, leaving her gasping.

"Come on!" Jerry yells at me, and the two of us sprint towards one of the doors. William, Alia and Julia are already standing there, waiting for us to set off. Relieved, my heart thudding so hard against my chest that I feel like it might break out, the five of us sprint through the door and off into the unknown.

**KOYEJU SITU, DISTRICT 7 MALE**

"Koyeju, come on!" Cobain yells at me from the other side of the room, where he is standing with Matthis and Thorn already. They already have their packs and weapons and clearly want to be gone, but I still haven't got anything. The boy from 1 attacked me and only stopped when he was attacked by the boy from 11, so I haven't had time.

Most people have already gone but, to my right, I can see the girls from 3 and 10 fighting... Well, not fighting as such. The girl from 3 is straddling her stomach and is torturing her, and appears to be... A sick feeling rises up in my stomach and I retch, trying not to be sick. She's carving designs on her skin with a knife. I can hear weak moans coming from there as the girl from 10 tries to halfheartedly escape... she's dead now.

For a second I pause to watch, wanting to free her, wanting to help the poor injured girl...

But it is my empathy that gets me.

A great force knocks into my back and I am forced to the ground as I look up in terror to see the boy from 10 standing over me, two great butchers knives in his hands. He is covered in blood and his eyes are wide with madness. Horror bubbles up inside of me as I scramble backwards. I'm weaponless, defenceless... And, turning towards the door, I realise that my allies are being attacked by some of the remaining Careers. They cannot come for me.

"Hello," leers the boy from 10, putting his boot on my chest and pressing me into the ground, trying to crush my ribcage. Clenching my fists, I struggle madly, attempting to free myself but to no avail. He has me pinned down and then, slowly, he puts one of the great, horrible butcher knives to my throat.

"Wouldn't struggle if I were you," he whispers, pressing the point of the knife further into my skin. He smirks, as the first droplet of blood appears. "It'll only make it worse..."

"Please..." I whimper, as the pain from my neck starts to become even more painful as he presses the tip of the knife in further, breaking the skin. It's starting to become unbearable.

He laughs at me horribly and, from where the girls from 3 and 10 are, I hear a female shriek. _Boom._

"I used to cut up animals at home," he says conversationally, taking the knife away but not letting me free. "I wonder how different human anatomy is to animals?"

Then, with another horrible laugh, he straddles my stomach and begins to cut me to pieces.

**SCEPTOR WHISHART, DISTRICT 10 MALE**

_Boom!_

I look down at the mess of blood and guts that was once the boy from 7, and a pleasant smile comes onto my face. It looks like humans aren't so different from animals after all, although he screamed and pleaded a lot more. He died pretty quickly, actually.

Turning around, I spot all of the other Careers watching me with mixed reactions. Some look disgusted, some amused, some neutral. After a few moments of us staring at one another, I get up and walk over to them.

"Nice job," James comments, glancing at the mangled corpse of the boy from 7. "Looks like we didn't make a mistake with you after all."

"Not like with _him_." Phlox says, nodding towards Riley who is still groaning on the ground in a pool of his own blood. We all stare at him for a few moments, wondering what can be done with him. He's basically useless, now, when it comes to well... anything. It'd be better to mercy kill him. He isn't going to survive long, not with the amount of blood he's lost.

James watches him for a few moments, still writhing on the floor and holding his bloody leg, before turning to Damascus and nodding slowly at him. "Finish him off."

Damascus stares at him for a few seconds, shocked at what he's being asked to do. There is a look of slight horror on his face at the idea, and for a few moments he stands completely still. Then, his face goes back to it's usual, deadpan expression as he takes a knife from his belt and walks towards the crying boy on the ground.

He whispers a few words to him, words we cannot hear. Then, bringing his knife to Riley's chest, he stabs him gently through the heart.

_Boom!_

For a few moments we are all silent. Although Riley is just another competitor in these Games, another to be killed, we knew him personally... Makes it kind of different. He was one of our number, and now he's just... dead.

Damascus walks back over to us, a rather hard expression on his face. He wipes the blood off the dagger with his shirt, and joins us in line. He does not look happy at all. James nods, though, and a rather satisfied look comes onto his own features.

"Good," James says. "Now, who's dead?"

For a second nobody says anything, unsure of what to say. Then, Norelle steps forwards, thinking. "Well, we didn't kill the boy from 11..." she says slowly, biting her lip. "He got away. Scarlett killed that pathetic little boy from 6-" she points at the headless corpse by the side of the moat. Scarlett smirks at the memory, looking down at her still bloodied scythe. I watch her rather appraisingly.

"I killed the boy from 9," James continues, pointing on of his kukri at the another corpse sprawled out on the ground. "Phlox killed the girl from 10, and Sceptor got the boy from 7..."

"And Riley," Norelle says, nodding at the dead boy with the maimed leg. "Don't forget about Riley."

Not bad. That's quite a few tributes dead- that's expected for a Bloodbath I suppose, but we did a pretty good job. I'm sure the Capitol is loving us right now, especially with the amount of blood they got... Tom grins and flexes his muscles, wiping a little blood off his cheek.

"Let's go hunting," he says cheerfully, putting his throwing stars back in his jacket. "I get to kill the first tribute we find... I hope it's a hot girl!"

I can't help but stare a little hungrily at the blood. I've always been slightly... well... attracted to blood, ever since my days in the slaughterhouse, but being in these Games has made it even more evident. Norelle, Phlox and Scarlett are even more beautiful covered in blood, and I'm a little disappointed that Emmeline seems clean. She looks the most uncomfortable out of all of us.

"No," James says, crossing his arms and giving Tom an unpleasant look. "We're going to get our supplies together first. And stop trying to be funny."

Tom wilts a little bit at the critisism, but perks up considerably when Norelle starts to walk away and he can stare at her rear. Rolling my eyes, I walk towards the Cornucopia to search for a pack and some more weapons.

**THORN AZALEA, DISTRICT 11 FEMALE**

I sit against the wall, shivering. Matthis, Cobain and I have been walking for about three hours, and my legs feel like they're going to drop off... And we're hopelessly lost. It's a labyrinth down here: endless tunnels and caverns. We've stayed completely silent, so not to alert any of the other tributes to our whereabouts, so it's been boring too.

The tunnels range from being huge and lofty, with ginormous stalactites and stalagmites, to so tiny that you have to crawl through them on hands and knees. A claustrophobic person would loathe it in here- the only open spaces are the caverns, and you don't find them very often. It's dank, wet and cold. And it doesn't smell amazing either.

"Where are we going?" Matthis says quietly, after we find ourselves in a cavern that we walked into about half an hour ago. It's a small one, rather secluded, and there is a small pond in the corner. I'm very thirsty, but there's no way I'm risking taking water from anywhere in this place. Not after those terrifying fish in the moat.

"I don't know." Cobain admits, stopping for a moment to run his hands through his hair. It has become even more frizzy in this enviroment, and he looks rather impressive. There is a bow and arrows slung over his back, but he has a machete in hand.

"Well... Should we find out what's in our packs?" Matthis suggests, as he stops too. For a second Cobain looks like he's going to argue, before he nods slowly.

"We're far enough away now." I agree, and we sit down on the cavern floor to look through our packs. In mine, I find a small loaf of bread, a pack of dried beef, a litre water bottle and some iodine, a torch, a box of matches, and a pack of dried fruit.

I show them to the others and both of them have similar things. Irritatingly, however, none of us have water in our bottles. Silently, we all glance towards the pond in the corner.

"No." Cobain says quietly, shaking his head. "It's not worth it. We'll be able to find another source of water. It's not worth getting our fingers ripped off." We all glance at each other nervously. Then, my irritation begins to bubble over and I find myself voicing it.

"Well, after all that shit at the Bloodbath, I don't want to die of dehydration." I growl, standing up and walking over to the pond. "There's got to be a way for us to find out if there's those psycho fish in there."

For a few moments we all think. Then, Matthis snaps his fingers excitedly. "I've got it!" he says. Before Cobain and I can say anything, he begins to root through his pack. After a few moments, he comes out with a pack of dried beef and opens it, yanking off a little piece.

We both watch as he goes over to the pond and drops the piece of meat into the water and waits. There are a few moments of tense silence while we wait for something to happen, but... Nothing does. Turning round to us, a wide grin on his face, he says,

"I don't think there's anything in there. Unless they only like human flesh..."

Cobain is up before he finishes, a knife in hand. Holding his hand out, he pricks his finger experimentally with the knife... Blood begins to well up from the wound, and he holds it over the water, letting the blood drip in...

There is another tense silence as we wait for something to happen. When nothing does, Cobain grins and picks up all of our canteens. One by one, he fills them up and brings them back to us, after putting in a drop of iodine to purify.

We wait the half hour it takes for the iodine to purify the water, then enjoy our first meal in the arena. It's not amazingly filling after the gluttony we all employed in the Capitol, but it's good. And I can't help but laugh when Cobain holds up his canteen and toasts Matthis.

"To Sparky!" he mocks toasts, and we all laugh. "Who, without, we would not have this finely dirty water!"

**There's the Bloodbath! I'd just like to apologise to all the tributes I killed- I pulled all of them (aside from Zero who I created to die... lol...) out of a hat. Those of you who have noticed Scarlett is not dead- I know. She dies next chapter in a much more inventive way... **

**Which tribute hates District 4? That's all I'm saying... :)**

**23. Zero Hobbes, District 6**

**22. Sam Xavier, District 9**

**21. Eva Lash, District 10**

**20. Koyeju Situ, District **

**19. Riley Davis, District 5**


	19. Day 1

**Once again, want to apologise to the Bloodbath tributes... I'm doing a memorial to all the tributes at the end. I love all those tributes, and killing Eva, Koyeju and Sam (who were amongst my favourites) was particularly hard. **

**The song Cobain sings in this chapter is New Ceremony by Dry the River. I do not own it- if I did, I'd be off on tour somewhere, not writing for you ;) **

**POVS IN THIS CHAPTER**

**William, District 12 Male**

**Matthis Elder, District 3 Male**

**Chiffon Cloud, District 9 Female**

**Damascus Sleik, District 1 Male**

**Margareth Alice Walcox, District 8 Female**

**WILLIAM, DISTRICT 12 MALE**

I am shaken awake. Blearily opening my eyes, I see Cora standing over me with a tired expression on her face. When she sees that I'm up, she gives me a small smile.

"Up you get," she says cheerfully with a yawn, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "We're all going to try and find some water."

Nodding, I sit up sleepily and stretch my arms out. The others are all in various stages of getting up, but Alia is still snoozing peacefully. Crawling over to her, I prod her awake and grin down at her.

"Wake up, sleepy." I whisper to her, and she laughs as she looks at me. Holding a hand out to her, she takes it and gets to her feet. Letting go of her, I walk over to where I was sleeping and grab my pack and sword. Slinging the pack over my shoulder, and trying to ignore the growls of hunger in my stomach, I stand alertly.

Julia is leaning against the wall, a weary expression on her face. Jerry told me what he presumes happened to her, so I can kind of see why she's a down. She really has it hard: her mother dead, and then she let that horrible district escort take advantage of her...

Jerry's stomach growls audibly and we all laugh, as an embarrassed look comes onto his face. He smiles though, and rubs it apologetically.

"Sorry," he says, picking his gigantic hammer off the floor. There's a bloodstain on it from yesterday, when he smashed the boy from 2 in the face with it. "I'm hungry."

Then, almost immediately, Julia lets out a sigh and says in a loud voice, face pointing towards the ceiling, "Calvin, we're hungry!"

For a few moments we are all silent, just staring at her. She pretends not to notice and examines her fingernails, waiting for something to happen. Then, we hear the sound of tinkling and we all turn towards the entrance of the cavern.

A parachute carrying what looks like a shoe box floats in towards us, and Julia smiles mirthlessly, before going over and picking it up. She examines it for a few moments, turning it over in her hands, before opening it.

I gasp.

Inside, there is a large, two litre bottle of water, six apples, two loaves of bread, and a large container full of cheese. Seeing our expressions of confusion, she shrugs and puts it on the ground between us.

"I can only do that four more times," she says shortly, taking an apple from the box and taking a large, generous bite out of it. "So we'd better make this last."

We eat our breakfast guiltily, knowing what Julia had to do to get it. It feels kind of... well... dirty to eat it. Alia eats enthusiastically, as she does not know what Julia did (I don't want to tell her...), but Cora, Jerry and I are more reserved.

When we've finished our breakfast and split the remains, we set off into the catacombs. We've all got water now so it doesn't really matter about finding any, but it's probably worth finding a different source.

We walk for about half an hour, before finding ourselves back in the huge cavern that houses the Cornucopia. For a second we freeze, looking around for the Careers, but nobody is here. Breathing a sigh of relief, we all look towards the great black metal horn. And, with a lot more nervousness, at the moat that surrounds it.

"Those fish..." Jerry mutters to himself, shaking his head at the moat. There are still bloodstains on the ground although the corpses have been removed- I guess they get swallowed up into the ground. In most inside arenas, that happens.

We make our way towards the Cornucopia, and Jerry, Cora and I jump across and hand things to Alia and Julia on the other side- matches and weapons, mostly. We don't take enough for it to be noticeable, so the Careers will start leaving a guard, but enough to sustain ourselves for a while longer.

Then, we make our way back into the labyrinth.

**MATTHIS ELDER, DISTRICT 3 MALE**

The sound of music awakens me from my dreams. For a moment I lie quietly with my eyes shut, not sure what is happening. Then, I recognise the voice: it's Cobain. He's... he's singing? Opening one eye, I glance around the small cavern where we chose to rest to see him sitting alone, leaning against a wall. He's sharpening his machete as he sings; quietly, so to try and not wake me or Thorn up.

When I look around a little further, I spot Thorn slumped against the wall, still fast asleep. She's still got a knife clutched in either hand, and her hair is splayed over her face. She's smiling a little in her sleep.

"_I waited by your bedside, and didn't close my eyes all night, I named you like a prayer_," Cobain sings under his breath. It's an unfamiliar tune, but sweet, and I love the sound of it. I wonder if he had a girlfriend back home who he'd sing to? He hasn't mentioned one. Maybe he likes Thorn.

"_It's anybody's guess how the angel of doubt came down, and crept into your bed_," he continues. I listen with rapt attention, letting the sound of his voice wash over me. I could listen to him sing all day, although I know we've got to go soon... Eventually, I yawn and pretend to wake up, and he quietens down quickly.

When I "wake up", I open my eyes to see him rooting through his pack. For a second I want to compliment him on his singing, before realising how awkward it would seem. So I stretch my arms out and smile sleepily at him.

We wake up Thorn and then set off to find somebody to kill. Although that sounds bad that is what we're in these Games to do- I can't currently kill anybody, but I want to get some wire from the Cornucopia. I can build an electricity trap if I get enough and... boom goes the Careers.

But then again, would I want to kill anybody? No. Cobain and Thorn aren't too bothered about it, so I'll probably mostly leave it to them. But, well... this is the Hunger Games.

It's only after we've been walking for a few minutes that we come across the Careers.

"It's them!" shrieks Phlox, waving her finger at us excitedly. We freeze, staring at them wide eyed. We're either side of a large cannon- there's loads of them, and only about three of us. Staring at each other, my heart begins to beat faster and faster as my breathing quickens.

Then, before I know what's happening, they're running towards us and we're running away from them. Through the tunnels we run- they're making so much noise that we know where they are and how far away they are from us.

I just keep putting one foot in front of another, sprinting as quickly as we can through the tunnels, pursued by them. If we can just outrun them... Cobain yanks his bow and arrows of his back and shoots back at them, and a girl screams with fury. However, when I turn back to see if anybody has died, I spot the girl from 2 yanking the arrow from her arm and throwing it behind her.

"Run!" Thorn screams at me, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me onwards. Eventually, we come to a small passageway- one of the crawl spaces. The Careers are in a tunnel behind us, and we've got about ten seconds on them...

Staring at each other wildly, we try and work out who is going first and who is going last. None of us want to go in that tiny space, especially since we don't know what's on the other side but... It's the unknown verses being torn to shreds by the Careers.

Thorn volunteers to go first and Cobain bravely says he'll go last, letting me go in the middle. I wish I could thank them, but we don't have time. Thorn throws herself into the hole and begins to crawl forwards on her hands and knees, and I follow her as quickly as we can, and Cobain crawls in behind me.

He only just gets in as the Careers flood into the cavern behind us, trying to work out where we are. When they finally notice the tiny crawl-space we're about half way down it, and there's a pinprick of light in the distance.

However, they begin crawling in after us, whooping and shouting that they're going to kill us. Cobain lets out a yell as one of them grabs at his foot and kicks backwards, and I hear the sickening sound of a crunch as he kicks somebody's face. The person, a boy by the sound of their voice, shrieks in pain and Cobain shouts at me to crawl faster.

Eventually, Thorn throws herself through the other side and grabs my hand to pull me through with her. She pulls Cobain through too and just as he's crawling through, I spot something. There's a boulder just by the side of the crawl-space, as if it was put there specifically to block it. Pointing it out to the others, we push it against the hole just in time...

The Career at the front, who Cobain kicked in the face, is banging on it, attempting to budge it, but it won't move. We lean against it though, for good measure. This lasts for a minute or two, before we hear them crawling back down to the other end, grumbling.

Turning around, congratulating each other and breathing hard... we spot the girl from 9.

Who has a sword pointed straight at my neck.

**CHIFFON CLOUD, DISTRICT 9 FEMALE**

I stare at the tributes in front of me. The girl from 11, and the boys from 3 and 8... I have my sword pointed at the boy from 3's neck. I was just resting in here, trying to get some sleep after being chased by the Careers all night, and I heard a commotion. Then, those three came through the crawl space.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't run you through right now," I say slightly shakily. I can hear the tremble in my tone, but apparently they can't. They are looking at me, terrified, not sure what to do.

Come on, Chiffon. You can kill this kid- you're tough, you aren't weak. You pushed the girl from 10 off you when she was grabbing at you, screaming for you to save her... And she died. The girl from 3 got her. That was similar to killing her, right? You can kill him... Come on...

"Touch him and I'll rip you to pieces!" snarls the girl from 11, stepping forwards and raising her axe. Staring right at her, I just dig the blade deeper into the little boy's throat, drawing blood. He whimpers and the boy from 8 grabs her, pulling her backwards.

A sick feeling runs through my stomach. The Careers could be along any second- there are plenty of ways for them to get to this room aside from the crawl space. If I'm going to do anything, I'll need to act fast.

I stare at all of them. The girl from 11 who is struggling, trying to get free from the boy from 8's arms. Then, I look at the boy from 3. He is staring at me pleadingly, begging me not to kill him with his eyes.

For one long, breath taking moment I stare deep into his eyes. Then, making up my mind, I do something I doubt anyone expected. I lower my sword.

The three of them stare at me with shock in their eyes. They expected me to kill the boy from 3... Honestly, I thought I was going to do it too. I've never shown mercy like that before, never. It's just something about his eyes, his miserable, gentle eyes... I've never killed before. It's harder than you'd think.

"Go." I say in a rough voice, not looking at any of them. I can't face their terrible, judging eyes. When they do not move, I look up and snarl, "I said _fucking go_! Do you want me to kill you? Next time... next time..." I hope they get the threat, because I'm not sure I do. I thought I was ruthless... tough... Well, murder is difficult, alright?!

That's what this all is. MURDER.

They run off away from me down, further into the catacombs. Slowly, I collapse to my knees, putting my head in my hands. That gaze, that haunting gaze... I grow angry with myself. Why didn't I just kill the stupid kid?! It would have meant one less opponent, one less person to kill later on...

Looking down at my arms, I stare at the words there, carved into my arms. _Ugly, pig, despicable_... Hey, maybe my stupid mother was right? I can't even save my own damn life! If I don't kill, I won't survive... My thoughts are interrupted as I feel cold steal at my throat. I open my eyes slowly.

"Hello, lovely." jeers a voice and, opening my eyes, I see the girl from 2. She is alone- I notice that the boulder has been pushed aside. I suppose she came back and managed to shift it... Surprisingly, I'm actually rather calm. I stare right back at her.

"Hello." I reply quietly. I grip onto my sword handle hard, ready to thrust it into her stomach. She will be my first kill, and then I'll be able to kill anyone. After the first one it'll be easy, I'm sure. I look at her. Will she look any different dead?

I thrust the sword up towards her and she parries it with one of her axes. I get to my feet and swish the sword at her again but she dodges, and swipes her axe towards my neck. It misses by inches and she lets out a growl of fury. I throw all of my weight behind the sword and charge forward but she sidesteps and kicks me in the back, forcing me to the ground.

As I smash to the floor I scream in pain as my hands smash into te ground hard, grazing them. She laughs at my pain and I hear the whoosh as she slices downwards... rolling out of the way, I shriek in pain again as her axe skids over my back, slicing through my clothes and digging deep into my skin. Rearing upwards, my sword forgotten on the floor, I go for her face and punch her, hard. She drops her axe in surprise and, in retaliation, grabs me round the neck.

I find myself paralysed. She lifts me off the ground like a rag doll, throttling me madly with bloodlust in her eyes. My head begins to spin as the world blurs in front of my eyes but she keeps throttling, her fingernails digging so deep into my neck that they leave bloody grooves behind.

I can't breathe... I can't breathe... _Boom. _

I hear my own cannon go before I finally black out.

**DAMASCUS SLEIK, DISTRICT 1 MALE **

Norelle comes back towards us covered in blood. We all heard the cannon fire and initially presumed it was her, since she went after the tributes from 3, 8 and 11, but apparently not. She smirks when she reaches us, and throws herself down next to Scarlett who gives her an excited look.

Tom, who got kicked in the face by the boy from 8, is holding a bloody piece of cloth to his nose. We think it's probably broken, because it's bent out of place, and Tom has not stopped complaining the whole way back here that the kid "ruined his looks".

I didn't know he had any in the first place. Hahaha.

"Who'd you kill?" asks Phlox, leaning forward, her eyes gleaming in excitement as she readies herself for a bloody tale. Norelle shoots her a smug look, before leaning backwards. The blood from the arrow the boy from 8 shot at her is still coming out of her arm, but she hasn't noticed, apparently.

"The little bitch from District 9," she says lazily, smirking. "The kids from 3, 8 and 11 got away... But I found..." she snickers nastily. "The deceased instead."

She, Phlox and Scarlett giggle nastily. She begins filling them in, in detail, about how exactly she throttled the girl to death, and the rest of us lose interest. Aside from Sceptor, of course, who is listening with rapt attention. I swear that boy is obsessed with blood.

Emmeline comes and sits beside me and, together, we watch Tom attempting to make James laugh as usual. He's clowning around, discussing which of the Career girls is the hottest, and trying to make James choose. I can see from the frustrated look in his eyes that he's dangerously close to punching the boy from 4 in the face.

Eventually, Scarlett grows bored with Norelle's tale and stands up, wanting to best it herself. "I'm going tribute hunting." she says, toying with her bloodstained scythe. I can barely stop myself shuddering- she decapitated the boy from 6 with that.

She walks off into the labyrinth alone. Tom watches her retreating bum slightly feverishly and then, when she's gone, he says in a very loud whisper to James, "I think Scarlett's the hottest. She's just... meow..."

James punches him in the face.

**MARGARETH ALICE WALCOX, DISTRICT 8 FEMALE**

I watch the girl from 4 as she walks away from the other tributes, stroking my knife. So she's a Career, AND a District 4 tribute, and she's walking right towards where I am hiding? I swear that the Gamemakers must have orchestrated this- it's just too perfect.

I've hated District 4 ever since my father got killed there... And now she's walking right towards me, and she doesn't know I'm here. This is the perfect time for revenge.

Hiding in the shadows at the end of a tunnel, I watch as she walks up it, looking for somebody to kill. From where I was a few minutes ago, I listened as the girl from 2 boasted about how she'd killed the District 9 girl... My victim got jealous and decided to find somebody of her own to murder. Well she's not going to kill another person.

For a second, I feel a little doubt. Can I actually kill a person? All throughout my life I've always wanted to get my revenge on someone, _anyone _from District 4... But I'm shaking, now. What if she kills me? God, what if I kill her? It wasn't her fault my father died, after all, even if she is a filthy murderer...

She chopped the little boy from District 6's head off. Decapitated him! She's a menace, a crazed menace. She needs to die.

So, when she comes close enough for me to touch her, I spring out of the shadows and tackle her to the ground. She lets out a shriek of shock, then snarls when she sees me and swings her scythe to slice my face in half... But bringing up my knife, I slice at her wrist, shutting my eyes as I do so. I can't watch...

The girl from 4 cries out in agony and then begins to shriek. I feel warm blood washing over me and then, looking at her, my eyes open wide. All that is left of her wrist is a bloody stump- her hand is gone. Looking down, slowly, I see her hand lying on the floor in a pool of blood, still grasping the scythe.

We both look at it. Then, very slowly, we look back at each other and she lets out a scream of rage, flying towards me.

She brings back her left hand, the one still attached to her, back and punches me in the face hard. I feel a tooth being knocked out and scream in pain as she begins to punch my face again and again, blood pouring from her hand and my mouth.

I lie there stunned for a few seconds, then bring up my knife into her stomach. Not expecting it, she reels backwards and stares down at the knife handle protruding from her stomach. Once again time seems to stop as I realise what I have done...

A tear dribbles out of my eye. She is going to die now. And I've done it... Margareth, don't cry for her! Think of your father, who her family helped kill! Think of the little boy from District 6 who she murdered! She deserves this!

Covered in blood and tears she throws herself at me again: I can see, from the look in her eyes, that she knows she is going to die. But she wants to take me with her. She brings her own knife down on my own hand, and I feel her sever the tips of two of my fingers right off and screech in agony... But then, after a few minutes of punching, kicking and squealing she slumps on top of me, knife ready to be plunged into my throat. Just... just like that.

_Boom! _

I lie underneath her dead weight for a moment, before pushing the corpse off me. She flops onto the ground and lies there, covered in both her and my blood. Her eyes are still open, but vacant, so vacant...

I moan, nursing my fingers and hobble off, bloodied. But still... I have my revenge.

**18. Chiffon Cloud**

**17. Scarlett Coppercroft**

**Once again, sorry if your tribute died and sorry for the double chapter. Wanted to get this one out. **


	20. Day 2

**Danceposh, the creator of Katara Winslow (and writer of some particularly awesome stories) is doing a SYOT soon- please submit tributes when she does! She's an excellent writer, and I'm sure she'll do your tributes more justice than I have.**

**POVS IN THIS CHAPTER**

**Phlox Astridei, District 3 Female**

**Katara Winslow, District 7 Female**

**Jerry Oldfield, District 11 Male**

**Norelle Wilkner, District 2 Female**

**PHLOX ASTRIDEI, DISTRICT 3 FEMALE**

We find Scarlett's body before it is even swallowed up. Covered in blood, with a look of fury on her face... One of her hands lies a few feet away from her, curled up like a little crab around a scythe. Her wrist now ends in a stub, and her guts are slowly spilling all over the ground... Emmeline goes a little green and looks away.

A nasty way to go. But who knows? Maybe she deserved it- she was pretty fond of decapitating people. It would have been more ironic if she got her head chopped off.

"Must've been a strong person to kill her." says James a little absentmindedly, in a rather emotionless tone. I glance around to look at him- he looks almost bored with the whole situation. For a few moments we are silent, before Damascus turns to him with an angry expression.

"Yes, we gathered that," Damascus replies sharply, and I can see him trying to contain himself. He doesn't look happy... I smirk. Scarlett's death doesn't really bother me; I'm glad somebody else did it. Saves me the trouble. "The important question is: who killed her?"

"Maybe the boy from 8." Tom cuts in, rubbing his nose with a wince. It's still bent nastily out of shape- whoever that boy is, I'll give him one thing. He sure knows how to kick. He winks and nudges James, who scowls. "Maybe he kicked her to death, eh?"

Norelle interrupts before anything violent can happen, rolling her eyes. It occurs to me that she's the one to watch out for here- she doesn't bother with arguing like the boys. She's to the point, straight at it... Hmm. "For God's sake, it doesn't matter. We don't go anywhere alone. Always keep your guard up. This Games isn't a fucking picnic. Scarlett got arrogant and cocky, and she died because of it."

"And what does that teach us?" I say in a quiet voice. They all swivel towards me, narrowing their eyes. It occurs to me that I'm the smallest now, and they all think they can overpower me... Well I'd like to see them try. Nevertheless, I clench my fists defensively.

Norelle sniffs. "It teaches us that we need to be careful." she snaps, before stalking off. She's miserable- I think she quite liked Scarlett. I might've done, a little bit, although she was only the competition. Now, she's dead meat.

We all walk away from the body, back towards the Cornucopia. It's beginning to rot, since it's been there overnight- I wonder if the Gamemakers just won't bother cleaning it up? It'd be a pretty unnerving sight, a rotted corpse. To some people, at least.

As soon as we enter the Cornucopia cavern, Norelle lets out a shout and points forwards. Looking towards where she is pointing, I spot the girl from 7 standing by the great golden horn, stealing supplies. She snaps up at the sound of us and pales, before grabbing an axe in either hand and running.

I let out a whoop as we begin to pursue her into the tunnels. She's got some ground on us but she's slower, as she's weighed down by all her supplies. There's seven of us verses one of her... this is going to be an easy kill.

**KATARA WINSLOW, DISTRICT 7 FEMALE**

I sprint down into the catacombs, clutching an axe in either hand. My pack is heavy on my back and I desperately want to throw it off, but I can't. I've got all of my food and supplies in there, and I'd die without them even if they are slowing me down a little...

The Careers aren't far behind me. I can hear them whooping and screaming, their running footsteps getting closer and closer... I imagine them in my mind: those crazy fools with their knives and swords held aloft. I'm growing tired as I sprint deeper and deeper, but I know I cannot slow.

My thoughts go to Tobee back home, and I grit my teeth and keep running. I will not show him, or anyone back home that I am weak! I am not weak! And these Careers will not catch me...

Sprinting as fast as I can, I skid round a corner and almost crash headlong into a wall- shit, there are dead ends here?! Turning around as quickly as I can, I run down another, seemingly endless corridor. Their footsteps are getting further and further away- good, that means I'm losing them.

Then, I hear the sound of scrabbling, and stop, ears pricked. What is that sound? My eyes open wider and wider as I hear the scrabbling getting closer and closer... Something in me tells me that whatever is coming my way down the tunnel, making that terrible noise, is worse than the Careers. The sound of heavy breathing, sharp claws clicking against the ground...

Before I know what I'm doing I find myself running as fast as I can, barely touching the ground. My lungs are burning with need to air but I cannot stop, because I can see them now as I turn my head around. Great, horrible creatures... Chasing me.

They're about the size of a wolf, although they do not look like a dog. Long and almost lizard like in appearance, with a lashing tail and razor sharp claws, they are horrific in appearance. But it's their faces that do it. Pointed and squished, with wide yellow eyes dripping pus, and horrible, fixed smiles... Creatures out of your very nightmares.

"Shit!" I scream at the top of my lungs as I run back towards the Careers. I can see them, the whole lot of them, looking bemused as I sprint towards them with my axes raised high. I must look deranged but I don't care. Smashing through them, hoping that those horrible creatures will attack them instead, I barrel up the labyrinth. For a moment there is silence. Then, horrible screams come from where the Careers are and I hear footsteps chasing me, loud screams.

Heart pumping faster and faster, I run across the ginormous cavern holding the Cornucopia, not even stopping to breathe. Sweat is pouring down my forehead and I'm almost crying with fear as I hear the sound coming faster and faster towards me... Click click... click click...

Daring a glance over my shoulder, I spot one of the creatures scuttling towards me, eyes focused on me with crazed intent. It's hands are reaching out towards me, that horrible fixed smile... It reaches out to me like a mother would to a child and I scream at it, scrambling towards the Cornucopia. Can it climb? I'm going to have to hope not.

Leaping over the moat, I stand by the side of the Cornucopia, pointing my axes at it. It lingers by the water's edge- it doesn't seem willing to cross it. I suppose it's scared of the carnivorous fish inside there.

"Come on!" I dare it, my fear making me mad. "Come on, you motherfucking great monster, come get me!"

The Careers begin to run out of the labyrinth- they're all there from what I can see. Although the girl from 3 is bleeding a little bit and nursing her arm, they all seem alright. It occurs to me that I'm going to have to choose- the Careers or those monsters.

It's a pretty impossible choice, considering both mean probable death.

The Careers, seeing that the monsters won't cross the moat, begin to run towards me, looks of murderous intent on their faces. I let out a hiss of fear before running around the other side and jumping over the other the other edge of the moat.

One of the fishes leaps out of the water and bites at my ankle, causing me to stumble in my jump and I sprawl headlong over the other side. Terrified, waiting for one of the creatures to come and rip me to shreds, I brace myself... But none come.

Looking back, I realise that they are all far too occupied with the Careers to bother with me. There is an intense fight going on- the Careers fight them from the safety of the moat while the creatures scream, in almost human like voices, and howl.

Relieved, I run away back into the labyrinth. Hopefully they'll forget about me now, now I'm out of the way. I need to go and get some rest and bandage my ankle from where the fish sunk it's fangs in, and I need a drink. And quite possibly a nap too.

Feeling almightily relieved, a surge of fury flies over me. Glaring at a camera in the wall, poking out from under a pile of rocks, I do a middle finger at it.

"Fuck you." I hiss, before walking off to find a place to hide and nurse my wounds.

**JERRY OLDFIELD, DISTRICT 11 MALE**

We watch the Careers as they battle with those... those creatures. The labyrinth is on many different levels and, from where we are (on a small ledge overlooking the cavern), we can observe everything as long as we're quiet.

I saw the girl from 7 as she ran away; she must be relieved that they don't seem to have noticed that she was there. I'd forgotten about her, actually- a careless thing to do, I suppose. Another thing Alisanne told me, before I left, was to never count anyone out. And if the girl from 7 is fast enough to get away from both those creatures and the Careers, then she's a force to be reckoned with.

As the brutal boy from 2 cleaves one of the creatures' heads off, Julia whimpers quietly. It sinks to it's knees as blood begins to spout from it's neck like a fountain. There is a look of horror on her face as she watches it all- I can see that she's remembering the brutal way the girl from 4 decapitated that little boy during the Bloodbath. Slowly, I put an arm around her shoulders.

She shudders for a second and looks up at me, but I don't look at her. I've got a girlfriend, and I don't fancy her or anything like that, but people in thiscrew shouldn't be upset. People in a crew should help each other.

"It's only blood." I whisper to her and, slowly, she nods. She begins to repeat my words to herself, under her breath, before sighing and shutting her eyes. Julia's been through a lot during these Games, and I can't help but feel bad for her. Even if she is an opponent.

The Careers quickly finish off the creatures and begin to nurse their wounds- those horrible things put up a bit of a fight, I must say. I turn around to the others, who are all looking vaguely shocked.

I don't really know what to do. We've got enough food and drink, thanks to Julia, and none of us feel like fighting... They see me as their leader, though. Me and Cora, we look after the rest of them.

Glancing at Cora, who purses her lips at me, I think for a second. Nobody really knows the time in here since it's always dark, so we don't really know meal times... Maybe we should have a congratulatory break? We've kept out of the trouble so far in the Games, so there's really no victories to celebrate, but... I don't know what else to do.

So we begin to walk back through the tunnels towards the cavern that we mostly live in- it's one of the only places we can consistantly find, apart from the Cornucopia. It's crazy in here, and I swear that the tunnels change sometimes.

We're just making our way through a particularly dark tunnel, when I hear the sound of scuttling. My blood freezes. Click... click... click... click...

"Nobody move." I breathe. It's pitch black in here- we haven't got torches, only a pack of precious matches that we stole from the Cornucopia a few days ago. It's getting closer now, I can hear it.

Click... click... click... click...

The sound of deadly claws hitting the ground as something walks towards us. I grip my hammer extra hard in both hands, breathing harder and harder. Alia whimpers quietly and somebody claps a hand over her mouth.

Click... click... click... click...

Heart beating faster and faster, I swallow and take our precious box of matches out of my pocket. I'm almost afraid to light one up, just because of the horror of seeing one of those disgusting creatures close up.

No. It's just our minds playing tricks on us in the dark...

Click... click... click... click...

It's getting closer and closer, whatever it is. I can hear it breathing, smell the rotting blood on it's breath. Silently, I strike up a match... Our screams fill up the whole tunnel. It's there! It's there! It's disgusting snout is inches away from my face, it's horrible grin right there... I can see it!

We begin to sprint down the corridor in the pitch black, away from the creature. It's there! It's coming after us, I can feel it's hot breath against my retreating back. Oh God, oh God...

Getting out of the black tunnel, we begin to race down countless tunnels, deeper and deeper into the labyrinth... It's stagnant breath, fresh with the blood of the Careers...

I take a wild swing behind me with my hammer and it screams in it's terrible voice, a howl of horror and pain. Soon enough it begins to race behind us again, though, it's claws clacking against the floor again and again.

Dodging out of the way, I throw myself down some carved stairs into more blackness. It races past after my allies, ignoring me. For a few moments I lie there, trying to catch my breath, before the sound of screams hits my ears. Alia!

Scrambling to my feet, I sprint up the stairs towards where the screams are coming from and, after blundering around in the darkness for a few moments, I find them. The creature has Alia pressed up against the wall, it's vile smile inches away from her face. It's pink, forked tongue sticks out to lick her face and she screams out on agony.

Where it's saliva left long wet tracks, her skin begins to burn- bubbling, as it touched by acid. She screams and screams, tears dripping down her cheeks as the creature steps back, as if pleased by it's handiwork.

Then, it opens it mouth so wide that I can see every single one of his teeth and lunges towards her throat, ready to rip it out. But it stops at the last moment as somebody lets out a war cry, sinking an axe into it's back.

It pauses, if confused by the attack, and turns around and sees him. I let out a low gasp. It's William. He holds up his axe blindly, ready to attack again, and swings at the creatures head. The sharp axe sinks into it's neck, leaving a long slash in it's rubbery white skin and it growls.

Swishing it's tail around violently, it smashes him in the head, hard. He crumples to the ground with a weak moan and the monster smiles, crawling forwards to devour him. Without thinking, I lift my hammer over my head and bring it down, as hard as I can, onto the creature's head.

With a sickening crunch, it is slammed to the floor as blood splashes all over the unconcious boy. It lies there, bemused for a second, before I smash it over the head again and again. Each time I do so, there is another squish and another splurt of blood.

When I am sure the beast is dead, I stand over it, covered in it's blood and stare down. Alia is shrieking, William is out cold, and Cora and Julia are nowhere to be seen... For a few seconds I am still. Then, leaning down, I hoist William's unconcious body up into my shoulder in a fireman's lift, and hand Alia my hammer.

"Carry that and I'll take your brother." I say to her shortly, and with the hand not supporting William, I reach out to grab hers. Together, we walk off into the labyrinth to try and find our allies.

**NORELLE WILKNER, DISTRICT 2 FEMALE**

I wrap a bandage around Phlox's arm, staring dispassionately at the mutilated flesh there. She winces with every twist of the material until I eventually finish and give her a cool smile. The girl from 3 looks down at the wound with some doubt, before shaking her arm and crying out in pain.

"Yes, well," I say coolly, stretching my own two arms behind my head. "I wouldn't suggest moving it too soon. Rest." I extend a hand down to her and help her up and she takes it. Together, we walk towards the boys and Emmeline, who are dressing their own wounds.

James is wincing as he spreads anti infectory balm on a deep bite mark on his hand, and Tom is spreading acid treatment on his cheeks. It seems that the creature's saliva is acidic, because it managed to burn a couple of disgusting holes.

These Games have not helped the boy from 4's looks, rather unfortunately for him. Although I'm sure, if he wins, he'll be able to afford some sort of corrective surgery.

Damascus turns to me, and silently hands me half a bread roll. I take it without comment and bite into the dense bread, savouring the taste in my mouth. After today's events, I don't want to go tribute hunting tonight. I just want to rest and... and enjoy the fact I'm alive.

I was scared today. Those creatures... They're like something out of a nightmare. What if they come back and kill me while I sleep? No, that's not going to happen... I must be strong. The others aren't showing their fear, and I'm stronger than they are.

Come on, Norelle. You can do this.

Sceptor starts a fire and stares into the flickering flames, warming his hands against it with a rather miserable look on his face. I suppose he misses Scarlett- I do, just a bit. For what it's worth, I didn't mind the girl from 4, even though I acted like I hated her.

It's all about acting. My mother must be so proud of me right now.

I go over to sit by Sceptor's side, and warm my hands against the fire. It's cold in these caverns, and this is a beautiful feeling. It makes me feel safe to be with these people. I'm not alone in these Games. That means a little.

"We need two of you to take the first watch," James tells us all, unearthing a couple of sleeping bags from the Cornucopia. "We'll use the same system as yesterday. After four hours, the second pair get up. Me, Emmeline, Damascus and Phlox did last nights..."

He stares at me, Sceptor and Tom. For a few seconds we are all silent. Then, I sigh and sit up.

"I'll do it."

"Me too." Sceptor says. Tom smiles and pats him on the back, before walking over to the others and grabbing himself a sleeping bag. Sceptor and I stay by the fire while the others slowly go to sleep. About half an hour passes with silence- neither of us want to say anything and risk the others hearing.

However, when we're sure they're all asleep, Sceptor slowly turns to look at them all. He surveys the other Careers with those narrow eyes of his, looking at them. I can't help but shiver- I wonder if he looks at the animals in the slaughterhouse like that. I shift to prod the fire and he spins around to stare at me.

"What?" I ask quietly, feeling a little defensive. He's holding one of those gigantic butcher knives in his hand, and I don't want to risk being cut to pieces like he did to the boy from 7. For a few moments he just continues to stare into the fire. Then, he says,

"We could kill them all, you know," he replies in little more than a whisper. My heart skips a beat. Seeing my face he leans forwards towards me and I flinch, backing away. He places a hand on my shoulder, and I notice how remarkably cold he is. "While they're asleep. They're defenceless. It'd be easy. That's five less competitors."

For a few moments, I consider his idea. It might actually work... No. We need them for now- it's too dangerous to be alone. Then, I think for a few more seconds, and a nasty smile comes onto my face.

"Not now. Give it a few more days, though. Then... then I'll consider your request."

**No fatalities this chapter... Apart from those poor Pit Dwellers. Moment of silence, please.**


	21. Day 3

**LIST OF POVS**

**Thorn Azalea, District 11 Female**

**Julia Wreve, District 5 Female**

**Sceptor Whishart, District 10 Male**

**James Ammolite, District 2 Male**

**THORN AZALEA, DISTRICT 11 FEMALE**

"We'll meet up back here in three hours." Matthis says, running his hands through his hair. He's grown a lot thinner during these Games, as we're rationing our food at an extreme- plus, there's nothing available to hunt. I don't imagine anything edible resides down in this pit of hell.

"How will we know when three hours have passed?" Cobain frowns, taking an arrow in his hand and bending it experimentally. It almost snaps and I grab it away from him with a laugh. He grins but does not take his eyes away from Matthis.

He thinks for a few seconds, before pursing his lips. Then, he smiles. "If I had the equipment, I'd make you an alarm clock. In view of the circumstances however... You know what would be really useful? A couple of watches..." He says this last sentence particularly loudly. Cobain glances at me, a slightly confused look on his face... But then, I hear the telltale sound of tinkling.

Glancing towards the mouth of the cavern, my mouth drops open. A parachute holding a small box floats towards us slowly, before eventually settling on a smooth rock next to Cobain. For a few moments we are all completely still, before he reaches down and grabs it and pulls the lid off. He lets out a delighted cry.

Inside, there are three watches- one for each of us. Considering we haven't killed anybody yet, the fact that we've got sponsors is a bit of an achievement, but that doesn't matter. There's a small piece of paper beside the watches and, as Cobain hands Matthis and I one each, I frown at it.

"What does that piece of paper say?" I ask him, nodding my head at the piece of paper. He freezes and his eyes open wide, before he manages to compose himself and shrugs.

"What piece of paper?" he says, raising his eyebrows. What is he talking about? I saw him look at it- his eyes fixated on it for a few moments. I'm sure of it. Is it something for him, or something private? But he hasn't opened it...

I don't pursue it. But there's something about the way he was determined not to tell me about it that confuses me. He blushed, he looked shocked... but why?

Strapping on our watches, we pick up our packs and weapons and head in our seperate directions- Cobain and Matthis go and try to gather food, and I'm heading in the opposite direction to try and find water. When we got back to our cavern last night, we discovered that the pond had been drained. I suppose the Gamemakers decided we had it too easy.

Immediately the tunnels become darker and darker, and I have to squint to see my way. If I was with the boys I'd flick my torch on, but there's no question of that. I must be stealthy, if I want to survive. Gritting my teeth as I remember those horrible creatures from yesterday, I hold onto my axe a little more tightly.

The sound of footsteps behind me causes me to throw myself against the wall, heart pumping hard against my chest. I flatten myself against the stone and clench my fists, ready to throw myself out and stab whoever it is there... But there is nobody. For a second I frown and think I was imagining it... then, I throw my hands over my mouth to stop myself screaming.

Pressing my entire body against the wall, I shut my eyes to try and stop any kind of light coming off me. The glint of my eyes could alert her... It's the girl from 8. Usually I wouldn't be afraid, and I'd be just fine with stabbing her through the stomach. But... she is dripping blood. Her skin is crimson with the liquid, and it is dripping from her hand and mouth and nose. The stench of rotting meat comes with her; she must've been bleeding for a long time. When I glance at her hand my mouth gapes, and I clutch my stomach.

Two of her fingers have been severed off, and little slivers of skin and flesh remain, hanging wetly from her stumps. The bones, shockingly white against her scarlet blood, stick out from the ends. She looks... she looks inhuman.

Drip... drip... drip... With every, slightly lurching step she makes further into the darkness, the drip of blood goes with her.

I begin to try and sneak back up the tunnel, too afraid of her to try and face her... But as soon as I've gone about three metres, she whips around and I feel something sharp skidding over my wrist.. It doesn't come close enough to sink into the flesh, but it breaks the skin on top.

With a gasp as I clutch it, feeling blood beginning to soak through the fabric of my shirt, I whip around and point my axes towards her. She has a pipe at her mouth- a blowpipe. That must've been what hurt me.

She pauses, before blowing another dart at me. I'm ready for it this time, though, and launch myself out of the way. The girl from 8 hisses furiously before running towards me, unsheathing a knife from her belt and swiping it savagely in my direction.

"Not so fast!" I snarl, and kick her in the stomach. She takes a few steps backwards with a fearful oof, but as I move to slice at her neck, she dodges away and lunges at my stomach. The blade of the deadly sharp knife sinks into my skin, but before she manages to hit anything vital or break anything more than skin, I have skidded backwards.

With a roar, I bring my axe over my head towards her, but she brings up her knife to parry it. The dreadful clang of steel on steel reverberates through the tunnel, as I press down with my axe, trying to get a go at her head.

She holds strong with her knife, although her face goes pink with exertion, and begins pressing upwards. The butt of my axe begins to come closer towards my face as we wrestle with our weapons. Then, before she can do anything else, I bring up my knee between her legs and she drops her knife with a startled shriek.

I push her backwards, and she slips on some of the wet on the floor caused by the constant drip in the caves. Scrambling backwards on her elbows, like a frantic insect, she grabs her knife again and brandishes it at me. Still, however, I advance on her with my axe.

"I've got you now..." I mutter, an I feel a nasty smirk coming onto my face. She'll be my first kill in these Games, I'm absolutely sure of it.

Then, just as I bring my axe over her to sink it into her chest, she springs upwards and grabs me by the throat, pushing me backwards. I let out a squeak of surprise as we skid across the tunnel floor as she presses both hands into my neck.

She straddles my stomach, then brings her foot down on my hand, hard, causing me to shriek with pain and drop my axe. My heart begins to thud faster and faster as she stares down at me. There is not a look of sadistic pleasure on her face- quite the contrary. She looks rather guilty.

Her knife goes to my heart and she presses it against the skin through my top. I cannot move- she is stockier than I am, and more able to hold me down. She presses the blade slightly into my skin and I whimper. But then, I steel myself. You wouldn't want to die shamefully would you, Thorn? You're going to be strong. You will stare her in the eyes until your cannon goes. Still, I struggle uselessly against her, screaming in her face. She puts a hand over my mouth.

"I don't want anyone to hear." she says quietly. Then, bringing the knife away, she holds it above her head, ready to strike. I stare right at her. She brings it swinging down... Then, I shut my eyes and hear a squish and a thunk... But I can't feel anything.

What? Am I dead?

Opening my eyes, I do not see the lights of heaven. I'm still in the arena, and she's still on top of me. But the knife is held by her side, and there is a stunned look on her face. Bringing one hand up to her forehead, she takes the arrow by it's shaft and breaks it away.

Blood begins to dribble out of her mouth as she flops backwards, staring at the ceiling.

_Boom!_

Pushing the corpse off me, I slowly get to my feet, wiping some of the blood off me. I turn to see my saviour and there he is. Cobain stands by the entrance to the tunnel, holding his bow loosely by his side. I hear the sound of footsteps and quickly, Matthis is by his side. I just stare at them.

Cobain just saved my life. He didn't have to... but he did.

My heart surges with a new feeling that I know I must ignore.

**JULIA WREVE, DISTRICT 5 FEMALE**

Cora and I lean against the wall of the cavern, puffing hard. We lost the other three last night when we were being chased by that monster, and I honestly don't know if we'll find them again. I hope so, but we've been searching for them all day and all we managed to find were the Careers.

They chased us for at least an hour before stopping, too tired to keep going. However we had to carry on- we had to lose them. After about half an hour we stopped in this cavern, and we haven't moved ever since. Who knows how long it's been?

Taking her canteen out of her pack, Cora cracks the lid open and takes a well deserved gulp. Seeing the look of thirst on my face, she passes it to me and I, too, take a long drink. After I'm done, I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand.

"That was... just slightly terrifying." she says with a small, nervous laugh. I nod slowly, not laughing. Ever since my mother died, I have not laughed. And I swear I never will again. The feeling of hollowness overtakes me again as I remember, only a few days ago, waking up with her beside me on Reaping morning. I want to feel her warm arms wrapped around me again, comforting me... I never will again.

The only arms I've had around me since were Calvin's. And they weren't exactly a good substitute.

"We should rest up for a while." Cora continues, stretching her arms and tucking her dark hair out of her face. She's still bright red and covered in sweat, although I don't suppose I look any better. Giving her a reluctant smile, I nod again.

"Probably wise." I agree, before reaching in my pack and pulling out a bread roll. I pull it in half and throw her one half, and she catches before taking a bite. I stare a little nervously at the bread, before taking a hesitant bite.

It's the bread I got from Calvin, and it feels dirty to eat it.

We finish our bread, before getting up and moving on. It would probably be best for us to find Jerry, Alia and William- we'd be stronger in a pack. Or a crew, as Jerry puts it. I like him, I like him a lot. He's quite handsome, he's kind, he's strong... I wish I was free to love him. If I was, I would.

After going for a few hours, we eventually find them.

Back in one of the original caverns we hid in, we find them crouching and nursing their wounds. Jerry has a gash across his forehead and several bruises on his neck, strips of the skin on Alia's cheeks has burnt away as if burned, and William is passed out cold on the floor. When we enter Jerry stands up, brandishing his hammer, but sits down as soon as he sees us. Silently, we go and sit.

"What happened?" Cora asks quietly, not wanting to alert Alia. Jerry gives her a slightly sharp look, before recounting his tale about what happened with the horrible creature after we ran away. Cora gasps at all the right places, but I remain silent. Alia needs medicine, looking at those disgusting acid burns on her face.

And that requires me giving up another one of Calvin's gifts.

For a few moments, I consider keeping quiet. But I'm not cruel enough to do that, and I don't want to watch Alia die slowly and painfully to death because of infection. So I ask Calvin and, soon, a pot of balm arrives to put on her face.

"Come here." I say to her, and she crawls over to me. She hasn't seen the balm yet, as she's been trying to wake up William, and I can't help but smile. "Shut your eyes." She does so, trusting me. I dip my fingers in the balm and coat them thoroughly before, a little nervously, I bring them to her burns.

She lets out a moan of relief as I stroke the balm over her burns, and her tiny face shows almost unmeasurable bliss. Jerry and Cora both laugh at the sound of her voice, and I smile again. When she's eventually covered in the balm, she opens her eyes and looks at me.

"Thank you." Alia says quietly and, before I know what she's doing, she's wrapped her arms around me and her little head is in the crook of my neck. She's hugging me.

Although she's not as good as my mother at giving hugs, since she's smaller and weaker than me (and it's me who is doing the protecting here), she's a great deal better than Calvin. So, slowly, I bring my own arms around her. She's so small and soft, and I feel tears appearing in my eyes. Eventually, she pulls away, and she looks so hilariously adorable that I can't help but give a quiet sniffle.

"Why are you crying?" she says curiously. For a few moments I am silent, before shaking my head and letting out a small sigh.

"I'm not crying." I reply.

**SCEPTOR WHISHART, DISTRICT 10 MALE**

I watch silently as the other Careers chat amongst themselves. We haven't been out and done anything _all day_. What do they expect- other tributes to just come trotting over to us and lay out their own necks to chop? Still, I decide to keep quiet, and continue chopping up one of the Pit Dweller corpses.

It's got a very interesting anatomy. Some of it is mechanical and other parts are actual flesh- perhaps it's chemically engineered? I don't know too much about stuff like that. All I know is how to cut up a corpse and get the tasty pieces of meat off it.

Hey, I wonder how human would taste? There's an unspoken rule about not being a cannibal in the Games ever since about four years ago when a tribute from District 6, Titus, started eating his kills. He got bumped off in the end, probably so the Capitol wouldn't have to put up with a deranged victor.

But I'm not deranged. If I killed and ate a tribute, which is certainly an option, I'd only do it to rid myself of my own hunger or, perhaps, just out of interest. How does human meat taste?

"Hey." glancing up, I see Norelle standing over me, a slightly bitter look on her face. I nod at her, and she sits down beside me, staring at the corpse of the creature that I'm cutting up. I smirk at her expression, and sit back. Looking down, I notice that my tribute uniform is splattered with blood.

"See something you like?" I mock, grinning at her rather entranced face as she stares at the mangled body of the monster. She turns to me quickly, with a sharp expression. Then, she narrows her eyes and smirks right back.

"Perhaps," Norelle grins, showing all of her teeth. I notice that they are slightly too sharp, like a cat's. In fact there is something about her that is rather feline- the way she moves, the way she almost purrs her words. "Or maybe I'm just a sadist."

"Tends to go together," I reply quickly, bringing one of my butcher's knives to my face and admiring it. They're nicer in the Games, more picturesque. I'd not killed a human before the Games, but there isn't much difference from killing animals. In fact, I'd say it's even more fun. I narrow my eyes. "I can't work out if you're talking about the dead animal or me."

She pauses for a few seconds, and looks me up and down. Cold, calculating, crazy. Then, she smirks again and shrugs. "Who knows? By the way, I'm still considering your offer. So don't get too friendly with anyone else."

And she gets up, swaying her hips as she goes. It's very difficult not to laugh- she's attempting to play me to her own advantage, I can tell. Should be amusing to see how far she's willing to go.

I bring my cleaver down hard on the creature's leg.

**JAMES "WATCHER" AMMOLITE, DISTRICT 2**

I stare at Norelle with one eye as she walks away from Sceptor. What exactly were they talking about? I want to know- I don't trust either of them. However stupid and meatheaded they may think I am, I'm not going to look over them. I'll be watching the both of them _very _closely.

Getting to my feet, I lean against the Cornucopia and watch them. I watch them all. I'm going to kill them all, the whole damned lot of them. They aren't going to turn on me like they turned on my brother. Because I'm going to be smarter than him, I'm going to get them before they can see me coming. As soon as possible.

I notice Tom, who is sitting with Damascus and Emmeline and attempting to get them to listen to him. Both of the tributes from 1 are looking rather tired of him... He'll die first. He annoys me too and, to be honest, I cannot wait to get him alone and slice him to pieces. Who next?

My eyes flicker over the others, and they fixate on Phlox, the little girl from 3. She's a pretty good fighter, sure, but there's only much use I have for somebody her size. She'll have to go soon too, although I'll let her live a little longer. Then... then Emmeline. She's not a killer and never will be, so, once again, there's only so much I can use her for.

That leaves me with Damascus, Norelle and Sceptor. I have a feeling that Norelle and Sceptor are plotting against me, simply from the way they always seem together and whispering. I won't let them go on lookout together again. I trust Damascus and Emmeline not to go against me, so one of the three of us will be on lookout with any of the others.

I will win these Games, no matter what I have to do.

"Hey, hey James!" I hardly stop myself groaning. Why won't Tom just go away? Doesn't he get the impression that I do not find him amusing at all? After he broke his nose and his voice became very nasal, he's become even more irritating. I can't even be near him without wanting to knock his teeth out.

"What do you want?" I snarl, turning towards him and crossing my arms. He's looking at me with a cheerful look on his face, and he grins widely, showing off his ridiculously sharp teeth. Why is he trying to be Enobaria? Why?

"I think Sceptor and Norelle are getting together... If you know what I mean." he winks roguishly, and I resist the urge to slap him. Does he really think I have not noticed? He likes to think he's my eyes- well he's not. He's like a wart that won't go away. But I'll carve it off. Painfully.

Walking away from him, I go over to the other side of the Cornucopia, away from the others. I need to be alone, away from the lot of them.

And I need to plan.

**Margareth Alice Walcox**

**Crazy crazy Sceptor... Crazy crazy Norelle... Crazy crazy James...**

**This was a slightly odd chapter to write. Can't say it was my favourite, although tomorrow's is something pretty special, I promise...**


	22. Day 4

**POVS IN THIS CHAPTER:**

**Alia, District 12 Female**

**Tom "Teeth" Maren, District 4 Male**

**Sceptor Whishart, District 10 Male**

**ALIA, DISTRICT 12 FEMALE**

It's night time. I can tell because it's even darker than it is in the daytime- that's generally how we tell the time in here. Dim in the morning, a little lighter in the afternoon, dark in the evening, pitch black at night.

The others are all asleep, and I'm on guard. I was surprised they'd let me guard them, since I'm easily the smallest, but I don't think they wanted to argue. William is still knocked out from that Pit Dweller lashing out at him, and it's only the slightly irregular beat of his heart that lets me know that he's still alive. I never let go of his wrist, making sure he's still alive.

"Don't die on me, Will." I whisper to him in the darkness, feeling the softness of his rather curly hair against my cheek. He's all I have left in this world. And... and although I know he wants to protect me, I want him to win. He deserves it more than me- when I cowered, he came to protect me.

He's brave. Always looking out for me in ways that I can never return.

Then, I hear the sound of scuttling and sit up straighter, clutching a knife in either hand. What... my God. What if the Pit Dwellers are coming back to finish what they started? Leaning over the unconcious body of my brother, I poke Jerry awake.

"What?" he murmurs sleepily. I can't see him; it's too dark to see anything in here. Fumbling around in my pack, I eventually feel the hard shape of a torch and flick it on. I can still hear the sound of scuttling as something gets closer and closer.

"Get up. I can hear something." I whisper to him. He sits up quickly and, together, we wake up Cora and Julia who are almost immediately alert. They all flick on their torches and gather their weapons, but we all stare rather worriedly at William. Carrying him is a burden, but he has to come with us! Seeing the doubtful looks on their faces, I stand totally still, crossing my arms.

"I'm not leaving him," I say stoutly. They look a little nervous, but I'm resolute. He wouldn't leave me, so I'm not leaving him. Jerry looks rather split. For a few moments we all stand still, and I think that they are going to leave me. But Jerry shakes his head.

"A crew sticks together." he says firmly, leaning forwards to scoop up William as if he's nothing more than a baby. I can see, from the looks on Cora and Julia's faces, that they don't precisely agree. However, after I give them both a harsh look, they sigh and take the lead.

We walk down the corridor slowly; I can still hear the scuttling. It's further away than it was before and... and it doesn't sound like Pit Dwellers. There's no clicking, and it sounds more like the walking of an army of insects. Many, many tiny feet. I wonder what the Gamemakers have in store for us?

"Watch yourselves," Julia says back to us, glancing over her shoulder. Jerry can't really fight with William on his back, so it's up to us three to defend us if anything happens. "The terrain gets really rough about here."

And sure enough, it does. Jerry stumbles a couple of times, and it's clear (about when the floor gets so rocky and slippery that it's challenging to walk by itself, letalone with somebody else on your back) that we have to stop. So we do so, in a pitch black tunnel smelling of something strange... I can't quite work out what.

It's only when I slip in a puddle of blood and scream as I faceplant to the floor that I realise what. It's the stench of rotting meat.

Getting to my feet, covered in blood from the floor, I stare around wildly to try and work out what is creating the smell. The others are clasping their shirts over their noses, trying to block it out, but Jerry cannot. He wrinkles his nose instead, attempting to screw up his face enough that the stench cannot enter his nostrils.

"God, what is that?!" says Cora in a disgusted tone, her voice slightly muffled by her shirt. I shrug and flicker my torch around, searching for the source. But instead of anything I was inspecting, like a body, I hear the scuttling again.

And I notice that the floor is black and shiny. And seems... seems to be moving.

There's a scuttling sound coming from it, like the sound of million tiny little bugs... And it's then I realise what they are and I let out a loud, harsh shriek. They're coming towards us faster and faster, pincers nipping at the air...

"Run!" I scream at them, beginning to run up the tunnel myself. It's pitch black apart from our torch lights flickering on and off all around us, as they get closer and closer... Slipping and sliding everywhere as they catch up with us and begin to run underneath our feet, I sprint on and on, the disgusting sound of crushing insects beneath my feet.

Then there is a cry and the sound of squishing and a thud. Jerry is calling for us, screaming in agony as I hear squishing and crushing as he rolls around on the floor. He smashes his fists into the walls of the tunnel, screaming and screaming as the bugs crawl over him...

I skid around and watch as Cora and Julia run back to him, screaming and trying to pull him onwards. They manage to yank him up, but the bugs still swarm all over him, biting and stinging at all of the skin they can find. He continues to scream, his eyes mad and wide, as pus begins to pour from the enormous boils beginning to cover his body.

The smell of rotting flesh is coming off him with such intensity that I want to be sick. Feeling bile rising in my throat, I hang onto the wall of the cannon and feel my stomach heaving as I stagger around... Then I feel a sharp pain on my leg and screech out in pain. Looking down, I watch as those shiny black insects begin to crawl up my leg...

"No! Get away, get away!" I squeal, brushing down my legs and attempting to get the infernal things off me. They sting and bite wherever they can, piercing the cloth of my trousers as they do so. Fierce pain, like a thousand stab wounds, begins to thud through my body.

I'm beginning to sink. More and more of the creatures begin to crawl up my legs until they are a mass of writhing pincers over my legs. Screaming and screaming, I throw myself onto my hands and knees as they begin to weigh me down. I crawl forwards, fighting my way through the creatures, but it's no use.

They begin to climb up my arms and legs, as they slowly try to swallow me up. The pain is agonising, and I can feel it in every single pore of my body. Bloody pus sinks down my legs and arms and I watch it splash onto the floor, splattering all over the ground and the walls. I'm slowly sinking down as they march up and down over my body, ripping little pieces of flesh off my arms, legs and back...

Through my fading eyesight I spot a hand being extended towards me. I can hear the sound of screaming, people yelling for me to grab it. For a few moments, I think it's hopeless. Then, I watch as the hand goes down into the insects and grabs mine, beginning to pull me from the creatures. I am a mass of cuts and pierced skin, but I am still alive. I can still see, hear and breathe. And there is no way that I am dead yet.

Recognising the hand to be Julia's, I let her yank me out of the swarm and pull me to her. She lifts me plain off my feet into the air and begins to shake me hard, wincing with the strain. It's like a black, shining tide is falling off me as the bugs fall to the ground. Cora is stamping them out as Julia shakes and, soon, I'm free of the tiny insects.

She puts me down tenderly and I collapse into a heap, shivering and staring into space. My whole body stings so much- it's like I've fallen naked into a nettle patch. For a few moments I only consider my own pain, living with it. Then, I look around. Julia and Cora are tending to Jerry, who is covered in his own blood...

A sick feeling comes into my stomach. Where's William?

I sit up and look around... just in time to watch the bugs crawling into his screaming mouth. His screams echo around the tunnels as the insects begin to devour him, crawling into every hole he has. His screams intensify as they begin to travel deeper and deeper into him, crawling down his very throat and stopping his breathing. I cannot see my dear brother now, all I can see is a mass of those horrible creatures...

After a few moments, I realise that it isn't just him who's screaming. It's me, too. My mouth is open wide, gaping in horror as he is eaten alive... I throw myself towards them all, but I'm caught around the waist. Looking up, I spot Cora; she holds me firmly, gritting her teeth as she tries not to watch what is happening to William.

"LET ME GO!" I scream at her, and I call out every swear word I know as I kick and scream and struggle, determined to get to him. I can get to him! He doesn't have to die, I can almost see him, I swear!

_Boom._

William's cannon goes off: we all hear it. Even me. But that doesn't stop me: I continue screaming and shaking and writhing until there's nothing left. My throat is hoarse and sore and the creatures are scuttling away now, back to whatever pit of hell they came from! He can't be dead, he just can't!

My eyes cloud over with tears as I continue screaming and screaming and screaming, staring at his now naked dead body. The bugs have gone, no doubt commanded by the Gamemakers to do so, but he's still there. His clothes have been eaten away, but so has most of his skin and his hair- he looks he's been stripped to almost pieces. Parts of his flesh have been eaten away and only patches of hair remain.

"LET ME GET TO HIM!" I roar, but Cora holds still, whispering soothing words in my ears. But I am deaf to them- he can't be dead, he just can't. That corpse bleeding out on the floor is somebody else, not William. Not my dear brother.

Soon I break into sobs, too tired and in pain to do anything else. Crying and wailing, I let Cora embrace me like a baby as the tears roll down my cheeks. I can't bring myself to do anything else. Then, I just collapse to the floor, shaking and shuddering and wailing.

What else can I do? He's dead. He's dead. He's DEAD.

**TOM "TEETH" MAREN, DISTRICT 4 MALE**

I love being on watch. It's especially fun to be on watch when I've got one of the girls with me, because I can have a good flirt, but I like being with James too. He's really cool; we're basically a comedy duo.

He sits beside me now, and he looks slightly irritated. I don't really understand why, since I'm not even doing anything tonight, but I guess he's just grumpy. He never smiles, he just stares at you with those creepy eyes of his. I sometimes wonder if he has something mentally wrong with him, because he really enjoys killing people. Sceptor and Norelle seem to enjoy it a bit more, but we've all established that they're both batshit crazy.

"Hey, James, how do you reckon those Pit Dwellers you know... reproduce?" I ask, trying to suppress a laugh. Seriously, I love watching his reaction to things like this. He doesn't even bother to look at me, just stares straight forwards. A muscle twitches in his jaw. "Maybe they have, like... transparent penises?"

He lets out a long, low sigh before looking completely in the opposite direction. He's breathing a little louder than before, and his face has gone a little redder. I'm starting to enjoy this- he's going to burst out laughing in a second, I can tell. Either that or he'll just scream at me and walk off, like he usually does.

"Maybe that's how Scarlett died... she got raped by a Pit Dweller. Eh?" I start laughing. He does not- he's going even redder and redder. For a second I think he's about to explode, and consider giving up right now. Perhaps that would be the wiser decision? No, he can't do anything to me. We're allies.

"I reckon that might've been what happened," I continue, trying desperately to make him laugh. It's been my goal, althroughout these Games, to try and make him at least smile. All of the others have laughed or at least smiled, even if it was slightly pityingly. "Did we check?"

That's the final straw. Bright red, he launches himself at me with a snarl of fury and hatred. Before I know what's happening, he brings his knife to my neck and presses into the flesh there.

"James, what're you doing?!" I yell, trying to wake the other Careers. I begin to struggle against him, desperately to get free as he begins to push the blade further and further into my skin. I feel the first few droplets of blood appearing and cry out, writhing desperately. He can't do this! "Please! Stop it, please! I was only trying to make you laugh!"

For a few moments, he goes completely silent, staring down at me with those emotionless white eyes. Then, his face contorts in hatred. "Ha ha." he says quietly, before bringing his knife up high above his head. I shut my eyes and clench my fists, waiting for the inevietable blow...

**SCEPTOR WHISHART, DISTRICT 10 MALE**

_Boom!_

I hear the sound of a cannon going off. Sleepily, I open my eyes and sit up, staring around. My eyesight is slightly hazy from the length of time I've been asleep, but I can see something. James and Tom were supposed to be on guard duty together, but I can only see James.

He's standing over somebody... well, a body, by the look of things. Glancing around, I look at the others. They're all still asleep. How could a cannon that loud not wake them up? I suppose I'm just a light sleeper- I knew that to be true.

Getting to my feet, I walk over to stand beside James, both of my knives at hand. He is staring down at the corpse and I look at it too... my frown intensifies. It's Tom. There's a knife sticking out of his neck, and it looks like he's been totally skewered by it. A look of fear and pain on his face, and a puddle of blood beginning to form beneath him. Leaning down, I touch his arm and find it to be still warm.

"Who killed him?" I ask, turning to James. He doesn't even bother looking at me, just continues staring down at the cadaver with those milky white orbs. They unnerve me rather a lot.

"I did." the boy from District 2 replies and leans down to pull his knife from Tom's neck. It comes free with a wet, sloppy noise and a mirthless smile comes onto James' face. The first I've seen from him, I think. It's difficult not to gape. "He is no longer useful to us. And those who aren't useful... die. You liking that?"

"I'm liking that." I agree cautiously, not sure what else to say. There is an awkward silence as we both stare down at the corpse, and the pool of blood slowly growing beneath him. James growls in the pit of his throat.

"Good. I've changed my mind. I'm getting rid of Emmeline next, if she doesn't prove her worth," he says in a low voice, gritting his teeth. Teeth... that reminds me of the now dead boy from 4. He gives me a rather warning look and squares right up to me. It's difficult not to step back away from him. "You'd better keep being good at what you do. Or I'll throw you to Phlox, and see how you like that..."

We stand in silence for a second, staring at each other. He's only a little bit bigger than me, luckily for me- I think I could take him, if worst comes to the worst. I'm more sadistic. Looking at Tom's body doesn't unnerve me, not at all. The blood pooling from his neck... such a perfect shade of crimson. Perfection.

The thoughts of cannibalism come back into my mind. Should I wake Norelle? Such a perfect oppurtunity, and Tom's not bony like some of those other, smaller tributes... He's got some meat on those bones. You know what would be amusing? Cooking him and feeding him to the other Careers... The Capitol would love that. Maybe... yes, I shall. But not now. They're sleeping now.

"Get rid of... that." James says, giving the limp body in front of him a rather nasty kick. "It's starting to stink. I'm going hunting; if I'm not back by the morning, then I'm probably dead."

Then, he walks off and into the labyrinth and leaves me alone with the boy's corpse. I stare down at it- it's still warm. I wonder how it would taste? Any different than some of the meat I helped prepare at the slaughterhouse? Hmmm... I doubt it. He was a pig anyway.

Glancing around to make sure the other Careers are still asleep in the Cornucopia, I take the corpse by the foot and attempt to drag it. He's heavy with all those muscles, damn him. Oh well, I'll get him round eventually.

When I've eventually got him round behind the Cornucopia, I wrestle with my conscience for a few moments. Can I do this? Has the Games unhinged me this much?

Yep.

I decide to go and wake Norelle. Out of all the other Careers I like her best, and she seems to be more on my side when it comes to things... I wonder if Phlox would consider butchering Tom with me? She's pretty brutal, and I've had my doubts about just how cruel Norelle is... Sometimes, she even looks a little guilty. I don't really understand that.

But as I look at her, sleeping peacefully, I decide not to. As much as I'd love to share the secret, only one person can win, right? She doesn't look at all like a threatening Career in her sleep either, she looks almost... cute. Did I actually say that?

So I go back round and bring out one of my knives. Looking over his body briefly, I try and decide where to chop. Where would bring the tastiest meat? Fumbling in my pack for a moment, I pull out a plastic bag that used to contain some dried beef.

Opening it, I empty the remains into the water and the Slaughterfish (as I've nicknamed them), come up to grab it. I think I'll feed what's left of Tom to them after I'm done.

I begin to chop him to pieces.

He's a lot more difficult than that Koyeju was. There's more muscle to him, rather than plain skin and bones. But eventually, although I get disgustingly splattered with blood as I do so, I get some very nice bits of meat off him. Taking the raw flesh in my hands, I play with it for a few moments, entranced. Then, I drop them into the bag. I want to watch the other Careers eat their former comrade... For my, and the audience's, own amusement.

Tom's pretty mutilated now. There's not much of his fat left, and his skin and flesh is mostly rather patchy. He doesn't look particularly pleasant, but I don't care. I didn't remove any of his limbs like I did with Koyeju so he looks whole from a distance... But not precisely pleasant.

Sealing up the plastic bag, I grab his body and roll him towards the moat. I have to thank the Gamemakers for giving me such an easy way to hide the evidence- the second his body hits the water, he is dragged to the bottom by those psycho fish.

I watch until the red begins to blossom to the surface, before calmly walking around the Cornucopia and putting the Tom-meat in with the rest of the food. I grab my canteen and pour water down myself, washing the blood off my clothes and skin (there's plenty of it). I change my clothes and dry myself with an unused jacket. Then, I take my place with the other Careers and settle myself in the same position.

After a few minutes, I pretend to wake up and accidentally-on-purpose prod Damascus as I do so. He stirs and eventually sits up, rubbing sleep dust out of his eyes.

"What?" he asks with a groan, giving me a rather dirty look. I shrug, and stretch my arms out drowsily.

"I heard a cannon. Where are James and Tom?" I ask, all too innocently. The boy from 1 looks around, confused, then shrugs back.

"I don't know. Maybe they saw somebody and went to kill them?" he asks.

"They wouldn't both have gone, at least not without waking somebody up. There's something strange about all this." I reply. There certainly is something strange about this, although not what any of the Careers will be tricked into believing.

The others are starting to wake up from the commotion, and I can barely stop myself smirking. An audience? What a perfect way to get the rest of the Careers against James, and make them support me more. If they all attack James when he gets back for murdering Tom (which he technically did, although I can make it seem a lot worse...), that's one extremely powerful ally out of the way.

And I'm sure that's better for everyone.

We all walk around the Cornucopia and the moat, searching. For a few minutes we just look around, trying to find anything. I'm racking my brains; how am I going to make them realise that it's Tom who's dead?

But it comes for me.

Emmeline lets out a loud scream and we all come running to her. I put a concerned look on my face, but I can barely stop myself grinning, especially when I see what is in the water. Tom's head is floating on the surface, having been completely ripped off by one of the slaughterfish. One of his eyes has been torn out, by the looks of things, and pieces of his skin are missing.

It's definitely him through. It's like the Gamemakers made it happen... They probably did. I hope I'm amusing the Capitol with this little trick.

"Oh my God, where's James?" says Damascus, panicked. The others all think hard- I can almost hear hamster wheels going around in their heads. Hah.

"I only heard one cannon..." I say in a faux nervous tone, gripping my knives extra hard. Shit! There's blood all over them! I shove them in my shirt, trying to hide them from the others. Only Norelle notices, narrowing her eyes at me.

The others all look worried. Haven't they worked out what I want them to think yet? I am about to say it myself, but before I can state the obvious, Phlox says,

"James must've killed him and run for it." she says quietly, glancing around at all of the exits. The others all around, expecting him to jump out, and I pretend to do the same. Then, eventually, we all face each other.

"That means he'd kill an ally..." Emmeline says in a dark tone. She begins to run her fingers up and down her knife blade.

"Meaning we aren't safe." Damascus finishes for her, giving us all grim looks. I can barely stop myself laughing.

This is like taking sweets from a baby.

**Sceptor you evil fuck... Okay, for all of you who want to see the gore, I couldn't actually bring myself to going into detail with the carving up of the corpse. This whole chapter made me feel a little ill. Just to say- I'm not a psycho! I was as nauseated as you probably are right now...**

**15. William, District 12 Male**

**14. Tom Maren, District 4 Male**


	23. Day 5

**Sorry about the lack of update yesterday, I'm having a bit of a tough time with stuff at the moment- best friend suicidal and all that malarky. Anyways, you don't want to hear, but that's my excuse. Enjoy!**

**POVS IN THIS CHAPTER**

**Cobain Renard, District 8 Male**

**James "Watcher" Ammolite, District 2 Male**

**Phlox Astridei, District 3 Female**

**COBAIN RENARD, DISTRICT 8 MALE**

I freeze, gripping onto my bow with both hands. I can hear footsteps- I'm on guard while Thorn and Matthis sleep, and my senses are a little hazy with lack of sleep. Glancing at my wrist, it's six thirty in the morning; a bit of an obscure time for the Careers to come hunting?

Who knows. I don't understand any of them, the murderous bastards.

No, it's only one person. Footsteps echo quite far in this labyrinth, and they don't sound too near... Nevertheless, they must be within about a quarter of a mile as I can hear them clearly. Who could it be? Katara? She's the last solitary tribute, and I don't know much about her...

I consider going out there and confronting whoever it, but then I turn round to glance at my allies. They're still fast asleep- there's no way I could go anywhere without risking their lives. And I couldn't do that. I've grown to care about the two of them which is not good... Especially since it's their lives or mine in the long run. I shake the thought out of my head.

Sitting down, I try and preoccupy myself with sifting through our supplies, but I can still hear the footsteps. It's like an irritating itch that won't go away, and I find myself gritting my teeth. It's getting louder, I'm sure of it.

Eventually, when I can take it no longer, I lean over to prod both Thorn and Matthis awake. They both stare at me with sleepy eyes, and Thorn reaches out to touch my arm. Ever since I saved her life two days ago, she's been looking at me a little differently. Acting just a bit subtly different. And honestly, I can't work out why.

We're in here to kill each other, after all. No making attachments... Well, that was the plan.

"Zigzag...? Cobain? What's going on?" she asks blearily, rubbing sleep dust from her eyes. Then, her ears prick up as she too hears the footsteps. She sits completely still like a rabbit caught in the headlights.

"C'mon." I whisper and, quickly, she grabs her pack and weapons. Matthis is fully alert too, and there is a slightly nervous look on his face. He's scared of the unknown, much like me, and whoever this is certainly is unknown.

As silently as we can we leave our cavern and begin to go down the corridors, with our weapons at the ready. Matthis stays in the middle, as usual, as he is the least able to defend himself. He's talked about getting himself some wire from the Cornucopia and making some kind of trap, but none of us have mustered the guts to try and steal from the Careers. We will soon, though.

We decide to split up- Thorn and Matthis go together this time, and I walk alone. I can't help but feel a bit nervous for them, but... I should be worrying about myself. Oddly, I'm more worried about the raven haired girl and the small boy with her than myself. Even though I'm the one who is walking alone.

I'm just considering this, I trip over something. With a frown, I grip my weapons even harder than necessary and glance down, just in time to see a net twisting around on the ground around my ankles. A trip wire! Damn it! I throw myself forwards just a few seconds too late, and find myself hoisted up into the air by my ankles. All of the breath is knocked out of my body as I am violently jerked upwards and I dangle there in space, struggling madly at the snare.

Who the hell left a trip wire?! Who would know how?!

I begin to struggle against the ropes holding my feet, desperately. I need to get down, or else I'm dead! The Careers will come and find me and slice me to pieces... Oh God, oh God... Swearing under my breath, I sling my bow around my neck and tuck my chin down to keep it in place, and grab my knife from my belt. As quickly as I can, I pull myself upwards and begin to saw at the rope with the jagged edge of my knife.

Slowly, terrifyingly slowly, the fibres begin to split and I find myself lowering until eventually, my weight snaps what's left of it and I fall to the ground with an unceremonious thunk. I let out a cry of pain as my head smacks into the floor hard, and lie on the stones for a few seconds until my head stops spinning.

Then, rubbing the bruise on the back of my forehead, I stand up to see somebody standing opposite me... And then, I feel cold metal against my throat and my eyes open wide. It's Katara- she's got an axe held against my throat, and another pressing into my stomach. My heart freezes and I feel my breath hitch as I stare right into those unforgiving eyes.

"Trip wire," she says slowly, glancing down at the piece of snapped rope on the ground. "I can see what Atala meant about snares being useful. And now I've got you."

There's something rather unenthusiastic in her tone, though, and although her eyes are cold, they are not a murderer's eyes. She purses her lips, embarrassed at my calculating gaze, and presses her axe further into the skin of my throat. I wince in pain and it's almost like she winces with me. However, she quickly brings back her axe to deliver the final blow.

I duck out of the way to her right, heart pumping hard against my ribcage as she swings the axe round to decapitate me. It misses my head by inches as I bring the knife forward towards her stomach, but she manages to dodge it. I slash forwards with my knife again, but she parries it with her axe and ducks around me to swipe again.

Ripping my quiver off my back, I slam it into her face and she falls back with an oof as the leather hits her hard. Her axe arm swings wildly as she loses her target. Stepping backwards once, she growls and lunges forwards with both axes towards my stomach.

I leap out of the way and my knife goes around, scraping over her arm. A graze appears but I don't manage to break anything more than fabric, but she snarls at the impact. Bringing her leg forward, she kicks me hard... right in the privates. With a yell of pain, I double over, clutching the area between my legs. I hear her laugh and, looking upwards, I see a look of true hilarity in those spring green eyes. Catching my gaze, however, she quickly changes her facial expression.

"Under the belt? No fair." I hiss. She's got her axes by her sides now, and if I can only stab her in the stomach... Gripping my knife hard, I look carefully at my target. Then, without warning, I throw myself forwards and push her in the stomach.

She falls back with a startled squeal, right onto her back. I stamp down on her hand hard, making her let go of both of her axes in shock. I kick them away and, taking my bow off my back, aim an arrow at her head. I have my foot on her throat now and she's staring at me with a look of absolute terror in her eyes, chest heaving up and down. She shuts her eyes and begins to mutter words under her breath- naming her family, I think. I'll let her finish.

But then, I hear footsteps again. The footsteps that I heard earlier, I'd recognise them anywhere. And they are right behind me. Turning around, I stare straight into the hard, milky white eyes of the boy from District 2. There is a cruel look on his face. Katara takes advantage of my shock and bucks herself forwards, knocking my foot of her stomach. I don't do anything to stop her- she's not my opponent anymore. Grabbing her axes, I hear her sprint off into the distance. Damn her... James doesn't even make a move to follow. He's staring right at me.

"Hey, District 8," he says in a dark tone. And with that, he begins to circle.

**JAMES "WATCHER" AMMOLITE, DISTRICT 2 MALE**

I begin to circle the boy from District 8. He's got a black eye- I don't know where from, but it's pretty impressive. Maybe that girl he was about to kill gave it to him. Honestly I don't care; by taking out him, I'm taking out a real contender.

He follows me as I circle, staring right into my eyes. He's got courage, I'll give that to him- he stares at me without apparent fear. However, I can see the way he's holding his bow so hard that his knuckles are white. What's he going to do with that, then?

"Pretty bow," I mock, coming to a stop. He stops opposite me, and I spot him taking his long, jagged knife from his belt too. He grips it in one hand, ready to attack if necessary. "But here's my question- do you know how to use it?"

"Pretty eyes," he returns, and he lets out a mirthless laugh. "Do you know how to use them?"

Oh, ouch. Honestly.

Giving him a smirk, I grip my kukri tighter. "Yes."

Stabbing forwards, I thrust towards his stomach but he parries at the last moment with his knife. I slice through the air with the other one but he dodges, letting out another mirthless laugh. His quiver smashes down towards my head and makes impact, momentarily throwing me off-balance. In the few moments that I'm out of it, he slices his knife down towards my throat but I bring one of my kukri up at the last moment.

The terrible clang of steel on steel echoes around the tunnel as he snarls, trying his best to bring the knife down towards my head. However, I continue pushing upwards, reversing it. He's strong, I'll give that to him... But I'm stronger. Taking advantage of his distraction, I bring my foot up to kick him in the stomach. He grunts in pain and throws himself backwards, dodging as my kukri swing down to chop him in half.

Giving me one last glare, he hooks his bow into his hands and begins to run down the tunnels away from me. He knows he can't win this, so he isn't even going to try... What a coward. But I'll say this- he sure is damn fast.

I begin to pursue but he's getting away. I put one foot after the other again and again, trying to catch up, but he's too fast...

"Come back here, you filthy rotten yellow son of a bitch!" I shout after him, using some of Scarlett's insults from her interview. He doesn't pay attention, just keeps running, faster than I ever could. He's got more stamina too- I suppose he must run track or something, which is why he uses a girly weapon like a bow.

Eventually I slow to a halt and glare after his retreating figure. What a pathetic coward- couldn't even face his own death. The Careers who murdered my brother were like that: two weak to face him themselves fairly, so they set upon him in a group when he wasn't aware of it.

Feeling a surge of hatred for the boy from 8, I smash my fist into the wall and swear loudly. Blood begins to cascade down my knuckles, but I barely register it. All consuming hate for that stupid, fast boy fills me. When I finally catch him, and I shall, he'll regret ever being _born_.

I begin to walk back to the main cavern, shoving my kukri back in my belt. I hope there's something to eat, because I'm absolutely starving from the night's hunt. I wonder how the others will have reacted to Tom's death? I told Sceptor to dispose of his body... Perhaps he fed it to the Slaughterfish and made up a good enough story?

I hope so. Otherwise I'll wring his sorry neck.

When I get back to the cavern, I spot them all chatting in a group. I can't hear what they're saying- they're speaking in hushed voices, occasionally glancing around at the exits to see if anyone's entering. Emmeline spots me by the door and the whispers stop as they all turn around to look at me coolly.

I frown.

Jumping over the moat, I walk towards them. I find myself fingering the kukri in my belt, remembering what happened to my brother. He got set upon by the other Careers because some stupid little fuck poisoned them against him... I glance at Sceptor, who is near the back. His face betrays nothing.

Damascus is the one who steps forwards, a cold expression on his face. He watches as I walk towards the fire, gritting his teeth.

"What?" I ask him finally, after his staring gets too much. I don't mind Damascus- he isn't as bad as some of the others. He actually makes sense and isn't irritating, unlike Tom was. However, I don't understand why he's looking at me so judgementally. What have I done?

"You killed Tom." Damascus replies, a rather accusing tone to his low voice. For a second I am still, before I turn around to glance at Sceptor. He isn't even looking at us- he's joking casually with Emmeline about something or another. Phlox is playing with her knives, and Norelle is eating some dried fruit from a pack. Nothing particularly suspicious. Slowly, I turn back to the boy from 1.

"Yes, I did," I say shortly, rummaging in a pack. Pulling out a piece of dried beef jerky, I nibble off the end. Damascus is still looking at me accusingly, and I can't understand. We all hated Tom, and he was just another competitor. "He was a prick. What's the problem?"

"He was also an ally," the boy says, running his hand through his hair. He gives me a rather wounded look. "Listen, James, I like you. But I thought we agreed not to kill each other until the alliance ends?"

Biting off another piece of jerky, I shrug nonchalantly. Tom wasn't exactly an... ally as such. He didn't kill anybody, he was irritating, and was basically a burden. Nobody liked him, so... I don't understand why everyone is making it into such a drama.

"He was a burden. He didn't kill anybody. He spent all of his time complaining and sexually harassing the girls. Was he really worth keeping around?"

Damascus considers this and slowly, a rueful smile comes onto his face. He shakes his head, before shrugging and glancing around the others. "It's not that Tom's dead, as such. I don't think anyone really cares. It's just... If you'd kill him, an ally, wouldn't you kill any of us?"

The words hit me like a tonne of bricks. I think for a few moments; the truth would be yes. I'm planning all of their deaths, even got a mindmap of it in my head. But I can't tell Damascus that, or he'd kill me on the spot. So I lie and shake my head.

"No. It was just him... I let my temper get the better of me. It won't happen again."

And with that, after giving him one last lingering look, I walk off to sort through the weapons. If I'm going to kill that bastard from District 8, then I need something ranged.

**PHLOX ASTRIDEI, DISTRICT 3 FEMALE**

I glance across at Sceptor. He's got a pack of raw meat in his hands- it's very bloody meat, too. He's looking at it as if in some kind of trance, staring at it. I frown; where did he get it from? I didn't know there was any raw meat in the packs. I guess he searched around a while. Or perhaps he chopped it off the Pit Dwellers. He was dissecting them, after all. I wonder how they taste?

Walking over to him, I clear my throat slightly. He glances up, and a smile comes onto his face at the sight of me. I love his smile- it's so lopsided and strange.

"Hey." he says, pulling a couple of metal sticks out of his pocket. He also grabs one of his knives and begins to cut up the meat into little cubes, sticking them one in turn onto the spits. There's a look of savage glee in his eyes, and I can't quite work out why. I suppose he takes some sort of sadistic pleasure in cutting up meat.

"What meat is that?" I ask, glancing at the spit. A feeling of euphoria comes over to me at the sight of it and I don't know why- I have to grip the fabric of my shirt to stop myself bursting into a fit of laughter. This happens sometimes, my random mood changes. I can't let them happen now, though. Not in front of Sceptor.

He glances at me for a second, distracted, before shrugging. Picking up the spits, he walks over to the fire and I follow him. As he sets up the spits over the fire to cook, a grin comes onto his face.

"Oh, I'm not really sure," he says pleasantly, turning around to me. Glancing down, I look at this hands- they're covered in the blood of the creature. He notices my staring and laughs. "Whatever it was, it sure bled a lot."

"Looks like it."

He laughs again, before walking over to the Cornucopia and grabbing a canteen full of water. Pouring it over his hands, he washes the blood away. The mix of water and blood splatters onto the stone ground.

A delicious smell begins to come off the meat, and as I sniff, a smile comes onto my face. Some of the others are looking at the cooking meat with rather cheerful grins on their faces. I look back at Sceptor, to see a look of suppressed laughter on his own. Norelle walks by us, and thumps him on the shoulder, shaking her head. They both share a laugh and, immediately, I find myself jealous. What does she know that I don't?

Glancing at the roasting meat, as she walks away, I stare at her retreating form. When she's out of earshot, I turn back round to Sceptor.

"What was that about?" I ask, playing with a knife between my fingers. His face crumples for a second, before he shrugs.

"I don't know. You and I are talking, I suppose." he smiles a little shyly at me, and I feel my heart skip a beat. God I'm fickle- one moment I'm following Tom around, the next I'm falling in love with the butcher boy.

"Good." I answer, and feel a smile coming onto my own face. I turn away before he can see it, and walk over to the fire. He follows me, and sniffs the air. A rather unpleasant smirk comes onto his face, replacing the smile from earlier.

"Smells ready... I'm dying to eat it." he says in a cheery tone, although I can hear something sharp behind it. Taking the spits off the fire, the other Careers begin to gather around, commenting on how delicious it smells. Emmeline takes a piece of meat off the end and plays with it in her fingers, as blood smears on her fingertips. It's rare, just how I like my meat.

"Bon appetit." Sceptor grins, and soon everybody begins to tuck in. I take a piece myself and put it into my mouth- it's possibly the most delicious meat I've ever tasted in my life. It's juicy, succulent and lean. Whatever it is, it is possibly the tastiest thing I have ever consumed in my life.

"Oh my God, this is delicious!" says Emmeline, with her mouth full. Damascus laughs and gives her an appraising look- I've always wondered if they had something going on. She doesn't notice his stare, however, and continues to eat. We all do.

"What meat is this?" asks James, sucking some of the juice off his fingers. We all turn around to look at Sceptor, who has a calm expression on his face. He thinks for a few seconds, then shrugs again.

"Dunno. I found it in the Cornucopia, and it smelt good." the boy from 10 says in a quiet tone, chewing slowly. There is a look of contentment on his face, and as everybody eats, his smile broadens. I can't really work out why- but I can see Damascus staring at him. Then, the boy from 1 lets out a yell.

"Spit it out!" he shouts to the others. I frown, and Sceptor frowns too. We're all looking at Damascus- what is he talking about? Then, he turns to Sceptor with a horrible stare, and points his finger accusingly...

**What has Damascus worked out? What is going on with Cobain and Thorn? What is happening with Damascus and Emmeline, or Sceptor and Phlox?WHAT IS GOING ON?**

**Lemme know in a review. Once again, apologies for missing a day. Next chapter has the following POVS:**

**Damascus Sleik, District 1 Male**

**Jerry Oldfield, District 11 Male**

**Emmeline Oliver, District 1 Female**

**Matthis Elder, District 3 Male**


	24. Day 6

**Heh, I really don't know much about archery... Ask me about gymnastics and drumming, I can answer that! I even learned how to knife throw (even if I'm slightly bad at it..), ask me about that! **

**Sorry for that breakdown, enjoy the chapter ;)**

**POVS IN THIS CHAPTER**

**Damascus Sleik, District 1 Male**

**Jerry Oldfield, District 11 Male**

**Emmeline Oliver, District 1 Female**

**Matthis Elder, District 3 Male**

**DAMASCUS SLEIK, DISTRICT 1 MALE**

I can feel myself shaking. All of the other Careers are staring at me, eyes wide, cheeks bulging. Grease and blood is smeared all over their chins from eating the delicious meat... Well I know what it truly is. Or, more specifically, what _he_'s done to it!

Sprinting over to the Cornucopia, I grab a canteen full of water and take it in my mouth, swilling it around. I spit all over the stone ground, and do it again and again until the taste is out of my mouth.

"Spit it out if you want to live." I say to all of them darkly, and they do so. I advance towards Sceptor while they do so and soon, I stand inches away from him. He's a good few inches shorter than me and stares up at me with plain bemusement in his eyes.

Either that, or he's an incredible actor.

"You poisoned it!" I hiss, pushing him backwards. I spotted the look on his face earlier, and put together with the taste of the meat... It didn't taste like any meat I've ever had before in my life, and being from District 1, I've sampled plenty. The Pit Dwellers, being mutts, would not have had edible meat- it would have been chemically created. So whatever he fed us would've been some sort of normal meat with something added... It tasted sugary. Perhaps he put sleeping syrup in?

That could be part of it. He'd put sleeping syrup in, watch us all fall asleep, then slaughter us. If I was planning to kill my allies, that's what I'd do. And there's something about his facial expression that looks just... too innocent. He knows. But wait a second... he ate the meat too. I frown.

"No I didn't." he replies shortly, staring back at me. Although his face is straight, I can see the cold hatred in his eyes as he stares at me. There's something else in those hazel eyes, something evil and deranged.

But I'm not listening. That's a big flaw in my accusation- he didn't pick first, and he ate it too. But he hasn't swallowed yet, that's something. He's just chewing on it, savouring the flavour in his mouth. That could be him just savouring the flavour, but everyone else has taken several and eaten them by now. He's continued chewing, but not once has his throat contracted like a swallow.

Like he's savouring the sweet savour of success...

"Spit it out, all of you." I reply coldly, and soon they are doing as I say. Some are glugging water from canteens, others are scraping at their tongues, terrified. Sceptor just stares at me darkly, a look of true hatred on his face. I step closer to him, and watch as he grips, hard, onto one of his knives.

"I haven't poisoned anybody!" Sceptor snarls, stepping up to me. I stare down at him for a few moments, before Emmeline steps up beside me. I can see her shivering.

"It's not poison," she says quietly, before she composes herself an an angry look comes onto her face. "If it was poison, unless it's slow acting, somebody would've died by now."

And then, there is a thump.

We all glance around, frowning at each other, then Norelle hisses in shock. Phlox is lying on the ground, sprawled out, with her mouth wide open. Blood from the meat is trickling down her chin, and her eyes are shut. Sceptor stares, shocked.

"Phlox!"

He pushes me out of the way and I stumble. He doesn't even notice; he sprints to her side and kneels by her, terror on his face.

"Phlox!"

We all stare, shocked. Is she... is she dead? There's terror in his face as he begins to pump at her stomach, desperately trying to wake her up. Grabbing a canteen from the Cornucopia, he pours it over her face. Then, he lets out a long, loud cry.

James walks up behind him. His face is like thunder, as he shoves him out of the way and kneels by Phlox's side. Grabbing her wrist, he fumbles for a few moments, his thick fingers too large against her fragile arm, he searches for a pulse. Then, he nods.

"She's alive. Fainted or something," he says quietly, before getting to his feet and facing Sceptor. Like me, he easily dwarfs the boy from 10. He is staring at the ground, and his cheeks are flushed red. Grabbing him by the shoulders, James pushes him backwards, as a look of fury comes onto his face.

"Get out of here." he whispers, his tone menacing. For a few moments we are all silent, before James pushes him again. "I said go!"

With one last look at Phlox, he runs. As fast as he can, he jumps over the moat and stumbles, landing on his hands. For a few moments he kneels there, breathing hard, as blood begins to come out of the gashes on his hands from the floor. James leans down and grabs a handful of stones, throwing them after him.

"Go!" he screams, and soon the chant is taken up by all of us. Even Norelle, who showed some degree of liking for him, picks up a handful of stones and throws them after him. Shielding his face from the onslaught, Sceptor runs, sprinting as fast as he can towards the opening to the labyrinth. Skidding his way round the corner, he disappears from sight.

We all relax. I was half expecting him to turn round and start butchering us. Emmeline walks over to Phlox's body and begins pouring more of the water over her face, pumping at her stomach. We all watch silently.

I don't know what Sceptor did. I don't much care. But he's now a threat. Perhaps it would have been a better idea to keep him around.

**JERRY OLDFIELD, DISTRICT 11 MALE**

We're all silent. Ever since William died a couple of days ago, there hasn't been much room for chatting. What would we talk about? He was never the most talkative, but it's like there's somebody missing. There is, but... you know what I mean. The first one of our allies lost.

I suppose I should get used to it- if I'm going to win, it'll have to happen to the other three too. But when I look around at them, I don't know how it could happen. Alia, so young and sweet. Cora, who always tries to make things better for everyone. And Julia... I think I might care about her the most. I don't know why- she's so sad and quiet. But it was yesterday that something happened.

When I saw her holding Alia, helping her... I was kind of reminded about her mother. Both of them have lost a relative because of these Games, so they are kindred spirits, in a way. I admire Julia for not breaking down, but I'm also sorry for her because of Calvin. I don't suppose she wants me to be sorry for her, but I can't help it sometimes.

Suddenly, Cora stiffens. Sitting up straight, she glances around, clutching her weapons tightly. I frown at her, and open my mouth, but she shakes her head. Slowly as she can, making very little noise, she gets to her feet and tiptoes to the entrance of the cavern. Poking her head out, she looks left and right. As soon as she does so, her body gives a little twitch, all of her. For a few seconds she just stays there, her whole body contracting.

Then, she turns back to us, and I swear her eyes are a few shades darker.

"I don't know what it is, but I swear I can hear something..." she clenches her fists and her jaw hardens as she turns back and steps out into the tunnel. "It's like a buzzing... a mechanical sort of buzzing."

A look of nervousness comes back onto her face as she walks back into the cavern, gritting her teeth. Picking up her pack, she slings it onto her back and gives us all worried looks. The rest of us stare right back at her- what's she doing?

"We need to go," she says in a firm voice, but I can hear the tremor in her tone. She's shivering, shaking almost. Bringing a hand to her head, she massages her temples. "I don't know what, but there's something out there. Something... something b-bad." she stutters over the last word.

Then, she lets out a loud scream. We all stare at her, horrified, as her whole body begins to shake madly. Her arms throw themselves in all directions as her legs splay out, and she throws herself to the ground. Curling herself into a tight ball she begins to scream as her body rocks around, eyes wide.

"Get it away! Get it away!" her voice is mad, manic, and not her own. I throw myself to her side and begin to shake her, but she throws herself across the floor away from me. What's going on? Then, I let out a yell of shock as something begins to float into the room... Gas, bright green, begins to come into our cavern, trapping us in. It floats towards us, engulfing Cora who begins to scream even louder.

"The ants! They've got you all!" she shrieks, slamming her hands over her ears as she begins to kick at the floor. It must be some sort of hallucination- that's what the gas must do. Cause powerful hallucinations.

I sprint towards the opposite side of the cavern and begin to bang on the stones, Julia beside me. We're trying to break through and get out of here. Where's Alia?! Turning around, I watch her as she falls to the ground beside Cora, screaming too. But unlike Cora, she is screaming with laughter.

"Guys!? You've gone pink!" she calls, and then bursts into another fit of mad laughter. Her crazed laughs mix with Cora's screams as they both roll around on the floor, trapped by the gas. It doesn't seem to be doing them any harm, thank God- this is probably for the Capitol's amusement more than anything else. But still, I don't know what it will do in the long run.

"Jerry!" Julia cries. I grab her and pull her towards me as the gas begins to close in on the two of us. We squish side by side, desperately trying to inch away from the stuff... then, it engulfs us too.

For a few moments I feel like my insides are on fire as it begins to make it's way into my system, into every single part of me. Then, I feel my mind going blank as I desperately try to fight it, trying to get towards the door and away from it...

_These guys all suck. WHY ARE THEY ALL BEING SO LOUD?! SHUT UP!_

My vision goes red. I hate these guys! Why are they all screaming, laughing and crying? I'm going to go and punch them all... Stupid idiots... Seriously, who are they anyway? And where am I? Stumbling forwards, I grab the girl who is standing next to me, who is crying, by the shoulders.

"Who... who are you?" I ask, and find my voice to be slurred. Why am I slurring? She looks at me, tears rolling down her face, and grabs me by the shoulders too.

"I didn't break the window! I was only trying to help!" she shouts loudly. I find myself hating her even more, and draw back my fist to punch her in the face. But I am stopped by the sound of somebody yelling.

"I'm not drunk, sir! I haven't had a drop to drink!" the child on the floor shrieks at the top of her lungs and bursts out laughing.

"The ants! The ants!"

After a few moments of us all trying to shout over each other, I find myself becoming oddly drowsy. Why is everything so green? I don't understand... I drop to the floor and curl up into a little ball. I can sleep now...

**EMMELINE OLIVER, DISTRICT 1 FEMALE**

I sit by Phlox's side, attempting to revive her. I've been trying to wake her up for the last hour or so, and nothing has worked. We're all starting to become worried- although it's probable she just fainted because of the shock of the fact that Sceptor may have poisoned us, she isn't waking up. And that's worrying all of us.

I look at Damascus, who is talking to James and Norelle in a low voice. The three of them keep glancing at the doors to the labyrinth- I suppose they're worried that Sceptor is going to come back at night and massacre us. Honestly, I wouldn't put it past him. We're all rather tense.

"What's going on?" I shout over at them, and Damascus beckons me over. I give Phlox's passed out body a guilty look, before walking over to the others. Norelle gives me a rather wary look.

"We were just saying," she relays, running her hands through her hair wearily. "That we might have to go down into the labyrinth. It would be more difficult for Sep to find us that way."

"Sep?" James says threateningly, turning to her with a crack of his knuckles. She takes one step back, before rolling her eyes at him.

"Bloody Sceptor, then." she replies, before beginning to fiddle with a knife. She seems to have become a lot more irritable in the last few hours alone- I think she quite liked Sceptor. Still, since she threw rocks at him, she's sure changed her tune.

"But yes, anyway," Damascus continues, attempting to dissuade the District 2 tributes from fighting. He gives me a rather significant look as he does so. "We're going down into the labyrinth tonight to search for him. And we might go down there permanently."

"That would mean leaving our supplies." I frown, giving him a confused look. We've got protection here- although the Slaughterfish were meant to be an obstacle, since not all of the tributes can get over the moat, that was a defensive position. And, anyway, none of us really know the labyrinth. The Cornucopia is like our fort- we can't leave it.

Norelle rolls her eyes at me. "Don't be stupid," she snarls. "We'd take most of them with us. But anyway, I don't think it's a good idea either."

We debate about it for a few more minutes, weighing up the pluses and minuses. Honestly, with all of us, we could easily take Sceptor... if we saw him coming. He's sneaky, and could probably kill me, Norelle, Phlox or Damascus. I don't know about James, though. But eventually, we decide that we'll go hunt him tonight. If we don't find him, we're going down into the labyrinth to stay.

James goes off to get himself some food, and Norelle takes my place beside Phlox, trying to wake her up, leaving me and Damascus alone together. We sit down by the moat and stare into the water, watching the slight ripples that show the slaughterfish.

"Do you remember when they tore Riley to pieces?" Damascus asks, taking a handful of stones and throwing them into the water. The slaughterfish rise to the surface eagerly, thinking that they're being fed, but are met by stones instead of meat. We both laugh as they grumpily go down back to the bottom.

"And when you looked like a panda at the Reaping." I tease, and he chuckles lightly. We glance affectionately at each other, and I feel my cheeks flush as I look away. God, my parents must be screaming at me right now. What am I doing, being attracted to the enemy? Come to think of it, what _am_ I doing?

Getting abruptly to my feet, I watch his face fall a little bit. "I'm going to help try and wake up Phlox, if we're going to go hunting tonight." I tell him, feeling a little crestfallen. Why hadn't I met him before these stupid Games? We could've got together, being from the same district and all... Or maybe things would've been different.

"See you later." he says in a rather cool tone, and I walk away from him towards Norelle and Phlox.

**MATTHIS ELDER, DISTRICT 3 MALE **

I watch Cobain and Thorn with rather amused eyes. They're sitting next to each other talking, no, _flirting _in low voices. Why is everyone so sex obsessed apart from me? I find both Thorn and Cobain attractive, but I'd never date either of them...

However, despite my lack of enthusiasm for dating, I cannot help but feel a bit jealous of them...

And like a third wheel.

Eventually, after growing tired of watching them, I sit up and stretch my arms out. I'm rather stiff from hours of just sitting here, and I really need to move... The Careers had a huge argument earlier, and the boy from 10 ran away. The gist was that he poisoned their food, or something like that, and a girl fainted. They drove him away.

That's slightly worrying for me. He's in the labyrinth, probably bloodthirsty and angry after being foiled by the other Careers... he's the psycho one, too. The one who sliced Koyeju up into little pieces... I can't help but feel a pang in my heart when I think of poor Koyeju. Good kid; he didn't deserve a horrible death like that.

I wonder if the butcher from 10 would do the same thing to me if he caught me. I shiver at the thought.

"Sparky? You okay?" asks Cobain, in a concerned tone. I glance towards him, and spot that he's moved away from Thorn and is standing in front of me, looking rather unrestful. I shrug and nod at him.

"Yeah. Just worried about... you know, the boy from 10."

Thorn frowns and gets up, leaning against the wall. She plays with a knife in between her fingers, thinking hard. "You mean Sceptor? He's batshit crazy." she says with a small, mirthless laugh. I suppose she's thinking of what happened to Koyeju too. "And now he's creeping around the tunnels... I'm worried he's gonna burst in here and rip us all to shreds."

Cobain and I both nod slowly, glancing at each other. It is a rather worrying thought that he'll find us- we've thought about it, and it's unlikely any of us will be able to kill him. Cobain specialises in long ranged, Thorn doesn't think she'll stand a chance against his slicing butcher knives, and my only weapon is my wits... And electricity.

It's like a light bulb goes off in my head, and I stare at them excitedly.

Beginning to pace up and down, I rack my brains for ideas as the two of them stare at me rather stupidly. "Okay, the biggest conductor of electricity is water, right?" I ask quickly. The two older kids just stare at me mutely. I suppose they don't have very good schools in outer districts like 8 and 11.

I take a deep breath, thinking hard. How am I going to get a source of electricity? This is an enclosed area, so I can't use lightning or anything like that... In order for my plan to work, I'm going to need sponsors and Capitol gifts. And that means I'm going to need enough cells and wires to create a circuit. And an intricate one at that... Will that be too expensive? No, the Capitol has plenty of money.

Thorn and Cobain look like they're watching a game of tennis, as their heads turn this way and that as I pace up and down. I'm thinking hard. An electricity trap, that would be the best way to do things. If we can get wires and a source of electricity, we... we can electrocute the moat around the Cornucopia. Then, doing that, we can dig another small river leading to both entrances to the cavern...

But that will take too long. And since the Careers are there most of the day, it will be very difficult to carry out. We need a distraction.

Slowly, I begin to relay my plan to Cobain and Thorn. And at the rather confused looks on both of their faces as I try and explain how we are going to electrocute the Careers, I can't help but sigh. This is going to take a very, very long time.

**Ooh... will Matthis' rather intricate and confusing plan actually work? What will Sceptor do now he's on his own, and no longer has anything to control him- become the bloodthirsty, animalistic, murderous cannibal he truly is?**

**Find out in the next chapter. **


	25. Day 7

**Apologies about another day off- I have laryngitis so I was at the GP. Anyway, chapter a day then missing out a couple isn't so bad, I suppose. Sorry anyways though :P **

**By the way, to American readers, a fringe is the equivalent of bangs... I think that's what they are... **

**POVS THIS CHAPTER**

**Cora Cooper, District 6 Female**

**Jerry Oldfield, District 11 Male**

**Cobain Renard, District 8 Male**

**Phlox Astridei, District 3 Female**

**CORA COOPER, DISTRICT 6 FEMALE**

The first thing that occurs to me as I awaken is pain. All over my body, piercing into every pore... It's not agony or anything, nothing as severe as that. It's just an aching, throbbing pain that makes me groan.

Groggily, I sit up and glance around with bleary eyes. As I sit up I moan again; my whole body feels like it's made of lead. What happened? Most of my memories are slightly hazy, but I can remember faces and... and ants? Where'd ants come from? With a slight shiver, I shake my legs and arms out to rid them of pins and needles. Then, I begin to look around properly.

I'm in a cavern of about four metres square, with a flat roof. There's an odd glow coming from the other side of the room and I'm not really sure what it is... How did I get here? I can't honestly remember anything from the last twenty four hours. It's an oddly compact cavern... Like a square box. It's only then that I gasp.

Small spikes are sticking out of the walls and the ceiling, about three inches in length. They gleam in the strange light of the cavern, and it's only then that I look for the source of the strange, blue light.

On the other side of the room, there is a small table with seven... are they gems? They look like huge diamonds, the sort of thing they get from District 1. With a frown, I get up and make to walk over to them, but I step onto something soft. There is a grunt of pain.

Looking down, I spot Jerry lying on the floor, seemingly fast asleep. It was his hand who I trod on and, immediately, I feel a pang of fear. What have they got us here for? What do they want? There is a sick feeling in my stomach; I can't see a door. This is some sort of puzzle, I think. Another thing for the Capitol's entertainment.

Well, we're fucked, then. And not in a good way.

I lean down to shake Jerry awake, and slowly, his dark eyes open to look into mine. Immediately he groans and rubs his head.

"Shit, Cora, is that you?" he asks in a hoarse voice, and the whites of his eyes glint in the blue light. I nod slowly at him and extend my hand to help him up, and he takes it gratefully. Once he's up, he steps forwards, looking around in the cavern.

Alia and Julia are here too, I notice, and I wake them up too. Both have severe headaches, apparently, and neither look too happy to be woken up. However I pull them up anyway and, when they see where we are, they become quickly alert.

"What're we in here for?" says Alia quietly, and there is a twinge of nervousness in her voice. I feel somebody grabbing my hand and, looking down, I spot the little twelve year old from District 12 looking up at me with fear in her grey eyes. Squeezing her hand reassuringly, I walk over to the gemstones, pulling her along with me.

Alia looks at them in wonder. She runs her small hands over the table, feeling the hard, cool stone. I just watch her. However, as her hands get nearer and nearer to the gemstones, I can't help but feel a little foreboding. Grabbing her, I pull her backwards away from them. She opens her mouth to say something, but then the crackly tones of a transmitted voice stops us. Julia opens her mouth to say something, but Jerry shushes her. It's the voice of Claudius Templesmith, the Hunger Games announcer. There's a speaker somewhere in this room, and it's coming from there.

"Welcome to a little... challenge. You four are the unfortunates who have been chosen." I can almost see the leer on the Capitol man's face as he says these words, and I ball my fists angrily. It takes everything in me not to reach up and smash the speaker.

"What do you mean?" Jerry says, and although his voice is confident, it trembles a little. I glance at him, but there's nothing on his face to betray fear.

"Funny you should ask," the voice says in a rather sarcastic tone. "Can you see those seven gemstones over by the wall there?"

"Yes."

"In order to escape this cavern, you need to find the three gemstones that, when touched, will open up a trapdoor for you to escape through. However, there is a twist. Each one of you must have a correct gemstone to leave. Picking up any of the uncorrect five... Will electrocute you until your heart stops. At least one of you does not get out of here alive- there are only three gemstones that will free you, and there are four of you..."

We are all staring at each other in horror as the voice continues. I can feel my heart thumping hard against my chest- my God, this is a trap alright. Biting my lip, I stare at the others. They mean for us to betray each other during this, I can feel it in my bones. They want us to sabotage each other; only three get out alive? So that means either I, or one of my allies, is going to die in here.

"Oh yes, and don't delay," the voice makes me jump as I was not expecting it. Composing myself, I take a deep breath and listen to the rest of the message. "The walls will be slowly closing in. After three minutes, they will crush whoever is left in here to death. Begin."

Then, there is a low rumble and the sound of dragging as the walls begin to slowly come in towards us. Those deadly sharp spikes getting closer and closer... For a few seconds I just stare at my allies, trying to work out who is going to betray me and who is not...

Suddenly, as one, we all sprint over to the table and crowd around it, staring in horror at the gemstones. Four of them will kill us, three of them will let us go... Which of the four of us will be the one squished to death? Or, we could all pick the wrong ones and die... Shit, shit, shit!

Taking a deep breath, Alia hitches her breath as she leans forward, reaching her hand out... I feel my heart thumping faster and faster as her hand grows ever nearer to the gemstone, a look of terror on her face...

Then, she grips it and lets out a sharp squeal as she does so... But nothing happens. Slowly, a look of relief comes onto her face, as a trap door opens beneath her and she vanishes back into the labyrinth. Although I'm pleased that my young, sweet ally got to safety, I can't help but curse her. Only two safe gemstones left now.

The walls are closing in closer and closer, the deadly sharp spikes getting closer and closer... The room, once about four metres square, is only about three metres square now if that... I gulp as the razor sharp spikes come closer and closer to us.

Julia is the next to lean forwards and attempt to grab one- I don't know why, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Electrocution or being squished to death aren't exactly easy things to choose between... However, as Julia grips a gemstone and a trap door opens for her, I feel the pressure getting deeper and deeper.

It's only me and Jerry left now. Either one, or both of us, is going to die.

**JERRY OLDFIELD, DISTRICT 11 MALE**

I watch Cora closely; there is a spark of terror in her dark eyes. Honestly, it's strange to have her as my opponent now. Either one or both of us is going to die, but I can't help but cling to the instinctive hope that it will be her rather than me. I feel a pang of guilt.

"Cora, I'm sorry..." I whisper to her, and she gives me a rather cold look. The look you give an enemy- it's rather strange for kind, gentle Cora to be giving me a look like that. Not the most pleasant feeling in the world.

"Nothing to be sorry for." she says in a voice much gentler than her eyes. I'm not quite sure which part of her to believe. Slowly, we both glance towards the table with the gemstones, and I feel my heart pumping even faster against my ribcage. I swallow.

Shutting my eyes, I reach out towards a gemstone and wait for the feeling of electrocution to run through me... The gemstone feels funny, with a rough, slightly bumpy surface. I can practically feel the energy coming off it as I grip it in my hand...

But nothing is electrocuting me. And I feel absolute horror as I feel myself dropping away. Looking at Cora with wide eyes, I see the terror in her face and, twisting around, I realise that it's not only me who is dropping away... The table is dropping away with me, along with the gemstones. That means... that means...

Cora is going to be crushed to death.

"NO!" I scream out, agonised, and I hear her echoing my scream as she realises what is going to happen to her. Again and again she screams, as I find myself in a tunnel in the labyrinth that I vaguely recognise beside Alia and Julia who are both looking melancholy. Seeing me, and the look of disgust and horror on my face, Julia reaches out... I won't let her die!

Leaping to my feet, I begin to bang on the ceiling, screaming her name again and again as loudly as I can.

"CORA! CORA!"

But it's no use. There is the sound of metal on metal as the spikes begin to jam together around her, and then there is the disgusting, terrible sound of ripping flesh. Her screams get even louder and louder as I bang on the ceiling, screaming her name, trying to reach her.

The sound of ripping flesh is so terrible, and I can hear the blood splattering on the floor as the spikes begin to rip through her.

"NO! NO, PLEASE!" Cora screams, and soon her shrieks are reduced to sobs and howls as she loses the ability to even make words with whatever is left of her throat. Then, there is a clang as the walls hit each other, the spikes hit each other...

_Boom!_

I just stare upwards in absolute horror. How... how could this have happened? Hot, wet tears begin to dribble down my cheeks as I hear Julia and Alia's terrified sobs behind me. Cora. No. She can't be dead, she just can't be.

She'll be riddled with holes now, not much left of her body. She's... my God, I can't believe the Games could even be that brutal and disgusting. Could they even show it on the television? Wouldn't they have to censor it or something? My... my God.

Cora. I can't believe it. And I as good as killed her...

I sink to my knees.

**COBAIN RENARD, DISTRICT 8 MALE**

"Alright, so we need to get wire from the Cornucopia?" Thorn says, frowning. Ever since the cannon this morning we've all been on our toes; who was it? Who did it? There hasn't been a death in a couple of days, so I guess it was slightly lucky. If the Capitol doesn't get enough deaths, they begin to get bored... And a bored Capitol is not what we need when we're trying to survive.

Matthis nods, pursing his lips. He's been working all night on it, refusing to let me or Thorn do anything. Honestly, you have to wonder how he hasn't fallen asleep yet. There are huge black rings around his eyes, and his lips are bleeding from how hard he's been biting them. His nails are nibbled down to stubs. And yet, he still won't tell us the extent of his plan.

"I need enough wire to create a very large circuit. And it's possible there won't be enough." he admits, running his hands through his hair. He seems to have aged in the last twenty four hours alone- he's more like a little old man than anything else. Thorn and I exchange an amused look.

Rummaging in my pack, I pull out a couple of crackers. Most of our food from the Cornucopia has gone off, so we're lucky to still have all this dried stuff. I throw a cracker to both of them and bite into my own- it's disgustingly dry. However, we cannot waste water. My stomach growls, and they both burst into laughter.

I scowl. It's not my fault I'm not exactly used to not having enough food, being a Victor's son.

"Stick it up your ass." I say, rolling my eyes. There isn't much venom there though, really- I can't blame them. Grinning, I take another bite of the cracker.

"I think 'Polly Wanna Cracker'." smirks Thorn, doing her impression of a parrot voice. I laugh and scoop up a handful of pebbles to throw at her, but stop at the last moment, making her chuckle. I turn back to Matthis.

"There will probably be a feast soon," I tell him, gritting my teeth. The idea of a feast is both a curse and a blessing; it's entirely probable there will be deaths, but we need that wire. Then again, there could be enough wire in the Cornucopia.

It's just highly improbable.

"And if there's a feast, Sponsors might give us wire." I continue. Although I highly doubt we're going to get Sponsors any time soon, since we haven't really done much in the way of killing people. We need to find a way to do something and fast.

"Cobain, sing." Matthis commands, pushing his fringe out of his eyes. For a few moments I just stare at him, eyebrows raised. Then, I shake my head. The entire nation has already sung, and a shitload of good that got us. Then again, who knows? Maybe my singing got us these watches.

"Matthis, do a little dance." I reply shortly, and he laughs. Rolling his eyes, he shoots me one of his rather lopsided smiles.

"Alright, alright," he says. Then, he takes a deep breath. "Well, I don't know what else we can really do, unless you want me to make another alarm clock..."

We both turn towards Thorn, wanting another idea. Even though her ideas tend to be the most irrational and occasionally stupid, neither of us have anything. Usually she would have said something by now though, being her. I like her chattiness, and her inability to shut up. She kind of fills in for my usual lack of talking... It's strange, here in the Games, I've talked to people a lot more. Been more open. I'm just thinking this, when I realise that Thorn is very close to me.

Extremely close in fact. Her face is mere centimetres away from mine. And, before I can say anything, her lips meet mine. My eyes wide open, I stare cross-eyed at her as she continues kissing me. Her eyes are shut.

After a few moments of feeling shocked and rather intimidated by her kiss, I find myself warming up to it. It actually isn't too bad, and I actually begin to respond. Eventually, she pulls away and gives me a warm look.

I just stare back, shell-shocked.

"I'm going to try and find some water," she says, and walks out of the cavern with a little sway to her hips. I just stare after her, eyes wide. My hair must be frizzing to the extreme- I must look like I've been electrocuted. Before she exits, however, she mutters under her breath, "That's how to bloody well get sponsors."

Matthis and I are completely silent for a few moments after she leaves the cavern. Very slowly, I turn round to face him. There is an equally shocked look on his own face as mine.

"Did that actually just happen?" I ask and, with a curse, realise that my voice is about ten octaves higher than usual.

"I... I don't know."

**PHLOX ASTRIDEI, DISTRICT 3 FEMALE**

I sit by the Cornucopia on my own. All of the other Careers have gone off to hunt the tributes, and I'm alone... Actually, it's rather surprising they've trusted me alone with all the supplies. I could just take off and go and find Sceptor or somebody else who I like.

After a few moments, movement by the door on the left of the labyrinth makes me turn towards it, heart beating fast. Who could it be? Deep in my heart I know who it is, but I grip an axe in one hand and a machete in the other as I advance towards the door... A dark figure moves out of the shadows at the sight of me, and a smirk comes onto my face. It's exactly who I expected.

"Hello, Sceptor."

He moves out of the shadows, and I take all of him in: his crazy hazel eyes, his long, curly dark hair and the dried blood smeared all over his face and clothes... The picture of a madman. So why is it so funny that I think he's absolutely beautiful, since I'm something of a madwoman myself? He grins at me.

"I didn't know if the other Careers would still be here." he says quietly, walking towards the Cornucopia. I follow him, weapons by my sides. But I do not let go- I'm not stupid enough to trust him. Not quite that stupid.

"They're off. Hunting you." I shoot him a slightly nervous glance. What if they come back and find us together? They'll kill the both of us, and I don't think I stand much chance against James, Norelle or Damascus. Maybe I could take Emmeline, maybe I couldn't. I'm not going to underestimate her.

"Fanastic. I'm starving. Is there any food left?" he does not mention the meat he gave us. I can't help but feel a little angry- I pretended to faint so he could make a clean getaway! Alright, it slightly blew back in my face, but...

"I pretended to faint so you could get away," I snarl, stepping in front of him. His cold, rather empty eyes stare straight into mine. "Got anything to say? Anything at all? I saved your life."

For a few seconds he just stares at me, then he brings his face in very close to mine. His forehead presses against mine as he gazes deep into my eyes. His hands find mine, and my weapons clatter to the floor. How could anyone have this damned effect on me? So stupid, Phlox, so fucking stupid... Then, I find the words coming out of me before I can even control them.

"Take me with you, Sep. I think I might just love you."

We are silent for a couple of moments. He doesn't look at me, then he steps away, shaking his head. I feel a pang in my heart. "We're in a Games to kill each other, Phlox," he says, in a slightly cool tone. "Push your feelings aside. How old are you... thirteen?"

"Fourteen. Fifteen in two weeks." I shoot back at him, trying to contain my anger. So he's going to label me by age is he, God damn him?! He gives me an apologetic look and steps forwards to push a strand of hair out of my face.

"Exactly. If you win these Games, you're going to grow up and find yourself a husband in District 3. We're both just kids. God..." he takes a step backwards and, taking a deep breath, cries out to the entire cavern. "How will I ever get out of this labyrinth!"

I step forwards to shush him, but he's laughing. The manic look is back in his eyes again as he turns to me and, before I know it, he's kissing me. He tastes like fresh blood and that delicious meat that was apparently "poisoned", and I never want to stop kissing him. When we finally move apart, he gives me a small smile.

"You can come with me if you want." he says in a small voice. Very, very slowly and tentatively, he extends his hand. It's smothered in dried blood, almost completely red. I reach out my hand and take his.

**Bit of a romantic comedy horror, this story... Jeez, I need a cigarette after writing this. And I don't even smoke! **

**Review s'il vous plait (yep, I'm being French. I failed my french test today because I didn't study... oops...)**


	26. Day 8

**Forgot to put the death count on the last chapter, so apologies for that. Isn't going to feel the same writing without Cora :( WHY ARE ALL THE NICE ONES DYING?**

**Btw. Norelle goes a bit batshit crazy in this chapter... I was thinking Clove, alright?**

**POVS IN THIS CHAPTER**

**Norelle Wilkner, District 2 Female**

**Katara Winslow, District 7 Female**

**Damascus Sleik, District 1 Male**

**NORELLE WILKNER, DISTRICT 2 FEMALE**

The shock that I feel when we walk into the main cavern to find the Cornucopia abandoned is immense. Phlox... She's abandoned us? I step forwards to search for her- perhaps she is just out of sight? But she is nowhere to be found. There's only the slightly melodic dripping of water against the stones of the cavern, and the rushing of the moat around the Cornucopia.

I follow Damascus, Emmeline, and James as they jump over the moat onto the small island and begin to scour it for our small ally from District 3. Where the hell could she have gone? It's not like her to have run away on her own... Walking into the great golden horn, I let out a hiss of anger as I sort through our supplies. At least half of the weapons we had stashed are gone.

"She's fucking stolen our weapons!" I shout to the others, and soon they're all clustered around me, staring in outrage at our severely depleted supplies. James lets out a cry of fury and begins to rake through our remaining things. When he finds most of them to be gone, he smashes his fist into the metal wall hard, bruising his knuckles. He barely seems to notice.

"That thieving little bitch!" James snarls, and there is true madness in his milky white eyes. With another scream of rage he clasps and unclasps his fists, unsure what to do with them in his total rage. He crosses them over his stomach and stares, wide eyed at us. I feel a shiver of fear running through me.

"She's gone with Sceptor," Damascus says in a harsh tone, glancing at the pile. For a few moments he just glares at it, then his voice softens to a calming tone. So he's going to be the peace maker again, is he? Because I'm shaking with anger- when I find that stupid little bitch from District 3, I'm going to tear her head off.

"We all need to calm down," he continues, biting his lip. "We're not going to live if we go in there without a plan. They're armed to the teeth now, and I facing them without any idea of what we're going to do would be suicide."

James turns towards him with a growl and takes a step towards him, withdrawing his weapons. For a second I think that he's going to attack Damascus, before he begins to speak in a low, menacing voice. "Here's the plan. We go in there and we _murder _them. Okay?"

"I'm with James." I find myself saying, crossing my arms and standing beside him. It's clear there is going to be a fight if we don't do something, and I can see both Emmeline and Damascus fidgeting, unsure what to do. But I don't care; if James and I have to kill them first, then that's fine. Us verses Sceptor and Phlox? It would still be an easy damn massacre.

"Come on, Mas." says Emmeline quietly to Damascus. This seems to seal the deal for him, although he's certainly grudging about it, and we run back into the labyrinth, taking all of our remaining weapons with us. We're all tired, hungry and thirsty. But this seems to drive us into even more of a blood-craze.

Further and further down we go into the labyrinth, searching for any tributes. We've barely killed anyone since the fucking Bloodbath- it's all been those Pit Dwellers. And what have we got out of it? Nothing. This time, this time...

After about half an hour, we find somebody. The girl from 7- Katara, I think she was called? We have to chase her for a little while and for a moment I'm certain we've lost her, but then we come to a dead end and back her up against the wall. She's sweating and breathing hard, an axe held in either hand. They hang loosely by her sides- she knows she's going to die, the poor thing. I sneer at her,

"Aww, does somebody know they're going to die? Poor little stray."

She spits at me and I laugh cruelly, before taking a step backwards. James steps forwards up to her and raises his sword, but I don't want him to end it so quickly. I want to play with her, want to torture her and put on a good show for the Capitol... I catch his arm quickly and hold him back.

"Let me have this one. I haven't had a good kill for so long, and I want to torture her... The Capitol will love it. It'll be a good show, and I can take her." I'm practically wheedling- it's rather sickening, actually. However, I'd literally get on my knees and lick his boots for a chance to torture this pathetic girl... I haven't had blood for too long and I need this. This will be my signature kill in the Games, I think.

For a few moments James considers. Then, he turns to the girl and prods her with the hilt of his sword.

"What weapons have you got hidden, District 7?" he says in a quiet tone, poking her in the stomach with it. She steps backwards, before narrowing her eyes at him.

"Well, my gun fires seven different shades of _shit_." she snarls, and holds up her axes in the defensive position. Quickly, I jump forwards and, surprising her, manage to push her to the ground. She lets out a hiss of shock and struggles, but I straddle her and hold her down before she can do anything.

Pressing my elbows down on her own and my feet down on her ankles, I successfully pin her into place leaving my hands free... I'll certainly need them, as well as a nice sharp knife. I smirk down at her as she screams up at me, crazily furious. I've changed my mind- I don't even need to kill Phlox or Sceptor. Killing this silly little bitch will be quite enough.

James chuckles darkly. "You stay here, then. We're going to look for Sceptor and Phlox... Meet us back at the Cornucopia in about two hours... If you can string it out for that long."

I smirk. "You know me."

**KATARA WINSLOW, DISTRICT 7 FEMALE**

The other Careers walk off, leaving the girl from 2 and me alone... My breathing speeds up as she pins me down harder, pressing into my joints hard. There is a look of sadistic glee on her face as she does so, but I will not give her the satisfaction of crying out. However, I cannot help but shut my eyes as I do so. God... Why did I ever have to come into these Games? I just want to go home. I will go home.

In pieces.

"Where to start?" she leers, dangling the knife teasingly above my face. I struggle, heart pounding hard against my chest as she presses down harder. I need to get away from her! I don't want to die!

She laughs at my weak attempts to get free. With all of her Career training she is much heavier than me with all of her muscle... From my years of woodcutting I'm pretty muscular too, but she's had more nourishment and has a healthier body. I couldn't get free if I tried, as well as the fact the hold she has me in is excruciatingly painful when I try to struggle.

"You're Katara, right? I'm Norelle, from District 2." she says in a mocking tone. For a few seconds I frown, not realising what she's getting at. Why is she introducing herself to me? Isn't she supposed to be slicing me into pieces or something?

"Why do I need to know this?" I manage to gasp out, taking a deep breath. She has most of her weight focused on my stomach, now, and it's becoming increasingly hard to breathe. I feel a few tears of pain coming into my eyes and blink them away... but not before she notices. She chuckles.

"Poor little stray," Norelle says horribly, bringing the knife ever closer to my face. I close my eyes, unable to watch as her knife sinks into my skin, but it doesn't pierce in, not just yet. I can feel the warm metal against my cheek, though, and I dare myself to open my eyes. There is a slightly irritated look in her face.

"Aww, it's no fun if you don't scream." she says rather indifferently, tracing the knife along my cheekbone. I hiss in pain as it first penetrates into the soft skin of my cheek, and I feel a tear dribbling out of my eye. At the burst of pain I begin to struggle again, and she snarls, pushing me further into the stone floor.

"Na-a, District 7. Play nice now." she whispers, as the knife sinks back into my skin and I let out an earsplitting scream of pain. She begins to carve up my left cheek with her knife, and I continue to scream as she carves patterns into the skin there. Blood pours down my face and dribbles down onto my clothes as she drags the knife around with fierce concentration. When she's done with my cheek she sits up, looking down at me with quite some pride.

I'm feeling dizzy with light headedness as Norelle stares down at me, and I watch as she goes hazy and begins to multiply... God, what's she done to me?

"Wow, I think the blood's driven me crazy," she says, wiping her knife off on my shirt. I just watch her through dizzy eyes as she pulls a face. Her hands are covered in the red liquid that... that must be my blood. I can barely even believe that it came out of me. "God, your blood's disgusting," she says in disgust, wiping her hands on my shirt too. Although they run over my breasts I don't even make a noise. The blood is still pulsating out of my face, dribbling all over me like a river.

"You're lucky I'm not Phlox, or I'd have made you lick it off," she leers. The pain is incredible; I can feel it in all of me, taking over me. Whatever she's done to my cheek, whatever she's carved into it... I don't even want to know. But I will not die- she hasn't killed me yet. I must be strong.

I begin to struggle again- although I'm a lot weaker than I was before, I refuse to die. I will not! I continue to shake and wriggle underneath her, kicking and punching feebly, but I'm only rewarded with bursts of pain in my arms and ankles. She gives me a rather bored look.

"I thought you'd realised you're dead, District 7," she yawns, glaring at me. She holds up her knife in one hand and directs it at my throat. "I'm pretty much done... You wanna know what I carved onto your cheek? A little tree, to remind you of home. Isn't that cute?"

I just stare her out, and let the tears fall down my cheeks now. I'm going to die and I know it- I barely even care any more. It all hurts so much, I just want it to end... I want her to end it..

"P-please." I whisper, and for a second she looks a little guilty. Just a flash of guilt comes onto her face, and her eyes show pity for just a moment. She is human, I realise. Like all other District 1, 2 and 4 tributes this Career mindset has been pounded into her since she was born. She's barely even in control of her own thoughts...

Compared to the life she must have lead, I almost feel pleased with my own life. Anyway, if I'm going to die, it will happen for a reason. There's no way to stop it happening. What's the point in making myself feel worst? I'll just think of all the happy times. My mother. My father. Times I spent back home, in the freedom of the woods, inhaling the beautiful scent of pine and listening to the birds sing their sweet songs... The sound of the river splashing, the delicious smell of the cherry pie my mother used to make on birthdays. Before Tobee betrayed me so, the times that I spent with him down by the lake. The feeling of his soft lips on mine... No, I can't think of Tobee. It'll only make me feel worse.

I shut my eyes and prepare myself for the blow that I know will come and send me to oblivion. But you know what? At least I'll see my brother and sister there. I brace myself for the blinding pain and then the sweet release...

But it never comes.

"Mother of G-" there is a scream, and I feel the weight from Norelle being lifted off me. Opening my eyes, my whole body freezing up, I let out a shriek of shock. A Pit Dweller, huge, transculent and with claws and teeth sharp enough to rip through a person's bones, has her by the scruff of her jacket. It's like a mother cat carrying a kitten and, as she hangs there suspended in mid-air, terror in her face, it looks almost comedic.

The hunter is becoming the hunted.

Quickly, I snatch up my axes and make to run away... But I can hear her frenzied screaming still. I'm light headed from bloodloss and joyful about the fact that I've escaped death, but I can't help but turn round... You know that feeling when you know that you need to run but you can't help looking back? Like Orpheus and Eurydice, when the temptation becomes so great?

Well, I regret it.

The Pit Dweller has her by the neck and is chomping at her skin, ripping away flesh with each bite. She is screaming and crying, blood pouring from her neck and dribbling out of her mouth as she hangs, suspended in mid-air. The creature leans down and takes a chunk out of her back and she lets out another cry of agony as it begins to tear into her insides. I watch as it begins to eat her from the inside out, and the noises she begins to make become less like audible noises and more like the sounds of a wild animal.

Norelle is staring at me pleadingly, screaming and screaming as the Pit Dweller tears into her back again and again, ripping out the flesh and whatever else is there. With a sickening crack, I watch her spine as the creature begins to pull it out like I might de-bone a fish...

How can't she be dead? She's slumped over, eyes almost shut as she bleeds out, being slowly devoured by the horrible creature. She's staring at me, I realise, with her half open eyes... mouthing words... A single word. The word that I asked of her just before she was about to finish me off.

Please.

For a few seconds I consider walking away and letting the Pit Dweller rip her to pieces, simply because of spite and hatred for her. She carved a tree into my face, damn it! But still... she's in about ten times the pain I was in... Everything happens for a reason, but... I'm going to put her out of her misery before the Pit Dweller guts her like a fish.

Stepping forwards, I raise my axe and, before the Pit Dweller even notices me, I slice it's disgusting head off. Norelle drops to the ground with it and there is another sickening crunch as she hits the floor, breaking God knows what else. The Pit Dweller slumps beside it, as it's head rolls away down the tunnel.

Norelle is whimpering now, her body near torn to pieces. I stare down at her, considering leaving her there to bleed slowly and painfully to death... But I can't bring myself to do it. I'm not evil like some of these other people. I can't bring myself to give someone such a painful and long death... Like when I was little, and one of my friends accidentally hit a pigeon with a stone, hurting it. It wouldn't be able to fly or move, and it would just starve to death. There would be no saving it.

So I picked up the stone and squished it.

It was about that point that people started considering me weird- I was a murderer, they said. But honestly, it was kinder to do that than watch the pigeon slowly starve to death. If I was in that situation, I'd rather be put out of my misery than have to die slowly and horribly.

I kneel to the ground and, as gently as I can, stab Norelle through the heart.

_Boom!_

Honestly, I doubt she would have done the same for me. I look down at her corpse and know, in my heart, that if I had been the one being torn to pieces by the Pit Dweller, she would have let it devour me and skipped off to find the other Careers. But I'm not like that, I'm not cruel.

As I look down at her mutilated body, I realise one thing. It's not these tributes who are evil- they weren't born evil. It's President Snow, it's Panem, it's these fucking Hunger Games. They're all evil, and they... they all deserve to burn.

So, it's with a calculated glare that I stare right at the camera that is zoomed in on Norelle's body. And walking up to it, I draw back my fist, and smash it into pieces. The glass from the lens sinks deep into my hand, but I don't even care. Sitting down my Norelle's corpse and the Pit Dweller's headless body, I pick the glass from my fingers before stumbling off. I'm still light headed from earlier so I swerve a bit, but I know I must get away from her body as soon as possible. As soon as the Careers figure out she's missing, they'll come searching.

"Damn it." I whisper under my breath, as tears begin to trickle out of my eyes. I wish none of these... these children had died. Sinking to my knees, at least a half hour away from Norelle's corpse, I sink to my knees and begin to sob. I sob for the loss of humanity, for the loss of unity, and for all of this death surrounding me.

**DAMASCUS SLEIK, DISTRICT 1 MALE**

"Emmeline," I whisper under my breath. James is asleep further inside the cavern, since we abandoned the Cornucopia... We found Norelle's body earlier. It was possibly the most horrible thing I've ever seen- her spine was sticking out of her back, like somebody had yanked it straight through her skin. I feel a little ill at the thought. A headless Pit Dweller was beside her, and there was no sign of the girl from District 7. Since there was only one cannon, I can only presume that she got away.

Emmeline turns towards me, a look of nervousness on her face. She's thinking the same thing as me- there's only three of us Careers left now, and neither of us know just how much we can trust James. He hasn't spoken since we found Norelle's body, and he kept giving us both dark, furtive looks. Like he... like he was going to kill us.

I turn towards where he is asleep, just out of earshot from us. Pursing my lips, I nod at her. "It's time for us to go. Only three of us left, and neither of us stand much chance against him..."

She nods slowly, and turns towards me. She hoists her pack over her shoulder and gets to her feet, a look of slight nervousness on her face. "Now?"

Getting up, I pull my own pack on and nod at her. We both look back at James, who is fast asleep. Hopefully somebody will come along and kill him to spare us the trouble. Although I grew to rather like him, I don't think he liked me back. Anyway, there's no room for friendship in the Hunger Games. He's just too cold, too cruel, too emotionless.

It feels like betrayal to leave him and, technically, it is. However, I get the impression that he's planning our deaths soon enough. At the end of the day, neither of us are really crucial for him. We're just instruments in his little Games... it's time for us to go.

"He'll be fine," I say, glancing at Emmeline who has a slightly fearful look on her face. I can't blame her; James will be furious when he finds out we've left him. However, that's not our worry for now. We need to get away from him. "He can take care of himself."

"And we can take care of ourselves."

We smile rather sheepishly at each other, and both look back at him one last time. Then, clutching our weapons and arranging our packs more comfortably on our shoulders, we begin to walk away from our previous ally and into the labyrinth. There's Phlox and Sceptor out there, and they're our main worry, although I wouldn't put the boys from 3 and 8 and the girl from 11 out of mind either. And the girl from 7... Although she rather mystifies me.

I don't really know what she can do, apart from run very fast. But we found the Pit Dweller decapitated, and she got away from Norelle... So she's going to have talent at something then.

I grip my sword harder as we walk into the unknown.

**Not too fond of this chapter, because Norelle died and I liked her a lot... Well, I've decided who's winning this, in other news. I've got it all planned :P Listened to No Reflection by Marilyn Manson, Creatures by Motionless in White, and Desert Song by My Chemical Romance whilst writing this. I've got a list of character theme tunes if anyone's interested.**

**13. Cora Cooper, District 6 Female**

**12. Norelle Wilkner, District 2 Female**


	27. Day 9

**Indeed this is a lovely, child-friendly story ;) Read it to the whole family! **

**I'm probably going to get flames for this chapter because of who dies... My twin brother, who beta'd it for me, hit me over the head with a maths textbook. Ouch? **

**POVS IN THIS CHAPTER**

**Emmeline Oliver, District 1 Female**

**Jerry Oldfield, District 11 Male**

**Sceptor Whishart, District 10 Male**

**Thorn Azalea, District 11 Female**

**EMMELINE OLIVER, DISTRICT 1 FEMALE**

I awaken to see Damascus by my side. It's rather warmer than usual today, and the air smells of chalk. There is a dim light in the caverns- must be early morning. I sit up and stretch my arms out with a yawn, and grip the machete in my hand.

Getting to my feet, I shake Damascus awake before walking over to our packs. He was supposed to be on watch; I guess he fell asleep. Can't blame him. It was like there was something in the air last night that made everyone drowsy. Or perhaps it was just the stress of yesterday. Who knows?

"Anyone dead?" I hear Damascus say, and I turn back to him and shake my head. As far as I know nobody has died, since the cannons are loud and have woken me up before, but perhaps whatever was in the air that made us sleepy kept me sleeping through it. James could have awoken and gone on a bloodthirsty rampage after he found us missing.

"Not as far as I know," I reply, rummaging in my pack and pulling out a couple of crackers covered in seeds. I throw him one and he catches it deftly, before beginning to nibble at it. It won't fill us up, but we're going to have to ration food now we don't have such an easy source. Well, we have no source at all.

"And James hasn't come after us yet..." I continue rather tentatively, taking a bite of the cracker. It's dry and bland, and tastes slightly like cardboard. However, in this situation, there's nothing I can do about it.

Damascus nods rather grimly at me, grabbing his own pack. "It won't be long," then, he lets out a mirthless laugh. "I can promise you that. And I can't promise you much."

I smile at him, but I can feel a touch of nervousness. How long until Damascus turns on me? I don't know just how far he is prepared to protect and work with me for, and I doubt it will be for too long. After all, there is only one winner... But I can't imagine him dying. The District must be pretty sick of me by this point.

We begin to walk through the labyrinth, in any old vague direction. Although we have no idea where we're going, it feels better to keep walking rather than stop. It makes us feel like we have a plan when, really, we're defenceless.

Neither of us speaks, not wanting to give away our position. Almost everybody still in these Games is dangerous, and may even be able to take us. Mostly, I'm worried about the boys from 8 and 11. They're both muscular and tall, and unlike with Sceptor, Phlox or James, we don't know exactly what they can do.

They're the unknown, which is far more threatening than what we already know. Although there is something... Damascus has been doing some thinking, and he thinks he knows what that meat was. And the truth makes me so sick to my stomach that I feel green even thinking about it.

He thinks it was Tom. He thinks that Sceptor killed Tom, cut him up and fed him to us... He won't tell me exactly how he worked it out, probably because he thinks it'll disturb me. And honestly, I don't want to know. The fact that I am... I accidentally became a cannibal is disturbing enough.

I may have to become a vegetarian after that little incident.

I'm so busy thinking that when we turn around a corner, I smash headlong into the little girl from 12. Falling backwards, I let out a sharp squeal and steady myself against the wall of the cavern... In front of us, stands the girls from 5 and 12, and the boy from 11. All frozen.

Damascus lets out a shout and raises his sword at them, and immediately the boy from 11 brings up the most gigantic warhammer I have ever seen in all my life to parry. It's almost as big as the girl from 12! Even Damascus pales at the sight of it, although he does not show it. He pretends to slash to the right, before lunging forward at the boy's stomach.

A knife slashes towards my head and I duck it with a hiss of shock. The girl from 5 stands there in a defensive stance, knife raised high. Slashing my machete through the air I drive towards her, but she ducks out of the way and sends in her own attack. Then, I am surprised as the girl from 12 screams loudly and kicks me, hard, in the small of the back.

I fall forwards then, letting out a cry of rage, bring my elbow back into her face and cringe at the sound of her nose cracking on impact. Then, I slice my machete back towards her, but somebody grabs me under the arms and pulls me away. The girl from 5 brings her hands up to my neck and attempts to throttle me, and for a second I feel terror flooding through my system. Then, my lust to live separating me from my usually squeamish self, I bring my fist back and punch her as hard as I can in the face.

Although it does not crack her nose like with the little girl from 12, she makes a loud noise of shock as a spurt of blood dribbles out of her nose. She pays no attention to it, however, and runs back at me, raising her knife high. The blade thunks into my shoulder and I squeal in pain as blood begins to splash down from the deep wound. She struggles to extract her weapon from my shoulder as it gets stuck on God knows what in there...

The pain becomes so intense that I find myself screaming out. She's really making a mess of extracting her weapon- wiggling it around in my flesh and killing every nerve in my shoulder. There's a look of horror on her face as she does so, desperately trying to get it out, and it's only then that I realise why.

She cannot defend herself while her knife is lodged into my shoulder.

Tears rolling out of my eyes, I bring my machete back. Her eyes widen in horror as she lets go of her knife to run backwards, but it's too late. My anger, pain and misery drives me, as I do something I never though myself capable of. The machete stabs clean into her neck.

I realise what I've done a few seconds after it happens. She stares at me in wild-eyed horror as blood begins to blossom from the wound. In my shock, I let go of the blade and take a few steps backwards, smashing right into the girl from 12. We fall to the ground in a heap, and the copious blood coming from her nose and mouth splashes all over me. But I have no eyes for her.

All I can see is the look on the girl from 5's face as she takes the handle of the sword, and gently pulls it out of her flesh. She stares at the blade as if in wonder- it's covered in blood and small pieces of flesh. A low gurgling comes from her mouth as she stares at me, and blood begins to dribble out of her mouth and down her chin. She doesn't even make a move to wipe it off. Our gazes lock as blood comes out of her mouth, splattering down onto her face. Neither of us makes a sound.

"Julia!" the girl from 12 screams, pushing me off her and slamming my head into the wall as she does so. I'm too numb to feel anything... I'm a murderer! I actually killed... Oh my God...

Well she's not dead yet. J-Julia.

The boy from 11 turns around from fighting Damascus, and lets out a yell of shock as he spots Julia on the floor. He stares at me, a look of horror on his face... Quickly turning to hatred. Damascus swings his sword towards him, but in his fury, he reaches out and punches my ally in the face. He falls backwards with a hiss as the boy from 11 just stands there, staring at where Julia is bleeding out.

Damascus, sensing that he will be beaten no matter what he does now, sprints over to me and grabs my hand. There is a look of guilt on his face.

"Come on." he whispers and, together, we begin to sprint away from our opponents. Even we, Career tributes, can tell the difference between right and wrong. And this... this has wrong written all over it.

I killed somebody. I can... I can scarcely even believe it, even if she isn't dead yet. She will die, I know it in my heart.

I'm... I'm a murderer.

**JERRY OLDFIELD, DISTRICT 11 MALE**

I sink to my knees beside Julia, staring numbly after the tributes from District 1 as they run away from us like the foul cowards they are. A rush of hatred for them runs through me and I snarl, curling my lip, and scream all of the swearwords I know after them. All of the ones the girl from District 4 said during her interview, and even more.

Julia... Julia...

Grabbing her hand, I clutch it in mine as she stares blankly up into my eyes, as blood spews from the deep wound on her neck and from her mouth and nose. There's a look of plain shock in her face. Alia kneels opposite me, silent tears falling from her eyes.

"Julia, it's alright. We can fix you! You've got one more gift from Calvin that you can ask for- you can get medicine. You'll be fine. We'll fix you right up, I swear." I whisper, trying desperately to convince both her and myself. Gripping her hand as hard as I can, I fumble for her pulse, trying desperately to find it. It's slowing, getting slower and slower...

Alia takes her other hand gently and squeezes it, swallowing. She turns to me and tries to find my gaze.

"Jerry, she can't speak. She can't ask Calvin for anything. You know she can't." there are tears falling down her cheeks, and she contains a sob. Shaking her head, she runs her hands through her hair and scratches at her cheeks with one hand. Deep groves appear on her skin where her ragged fingernails run over, and I watch. I want to do that too, cause myself pain. But my hands are preoccupied with holding Julia's hand, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

"Calvin! God fucking damn you, Calvin, we need one last gift! Please!" I scream out to the labyrinth at large. Julia can't die! I scream out again and again for a gift, one thing to save her. She can make it! I can't imagine the rest of these Games without Cora or her...

She opens her cracked, bloody lips and tries to form words. Alia watches her intently, trying to make out her words as I just stare, dumbfounded. I feel a small squeeze on my hands and, looking down, I see that she is holdnig my hands back. A tear comes out from the corner of my eye.

Julia gives us both one last half smile. Then, she lies her head back and gazes into space... The cannon comes before she even lets out her last breath.

_Boom!_

I just stare numbly at her. This... this can't be happening. My God, I don't even believe it. This is some hallucination, some after effect of the gas that... that helped kill Cora. No. I hate these Games! We were a family, and they split us up, and they're killing us off one by one... Three of my friends, my crew, are gone. And another of us, at least, is going to die before the end of these fucked up Games...

Why is this all happening? Who's sick idea was it to create the Hunger Games? It doesn't make the districts less rebellious, it makes us worse. After seeing all this... this _shit _on the television, I'd want to rise up. I'd want to kill the lot of them, those fat, spoilt Capitol fools. I hate them. I hate them all, and I hope they all _burn in hell_.

"What were her last words? You were lip-reading her." I say to Alia, and I'm surprised by my emotionless tone. My whole body feels... my whole body feels numb. I can't believe this is happening. I want to cry and scream and scratch at my cheeks, but I will not let go of Julia. Nothing in this world could pull me away, not now. Not a thousand Pit Dwellers, not either of those District 1 demons, not anybody.

Alia looks at me through her tears, and wipes a few of them away. A small, sad smile comes onto her face as she brings up her fingers to shut Julia's eyelids for her. Her tiny fingers travel down Julia's face, as if trying to memorise her features... They skirt over the bloody wound on her neck and settle on her collar bone.

"Mother, I'm home." she says quietly, and slowly brings her hands back up to her cheeks and begins to scratch again. I do not stop her- it's a form of mourning. And although I know Alia and I must move on soon, if we don't want to be mauled to death by the other tributes.

But I can't help it... I bring one hand up to Julia's face. "When I was younger, my father took me to see a marching band play," I tell Alia in a quiet voice. "He told me that when I grow up, I should be the saviour of the broken, the beaten and the damned... That's why I volunteered for that little kid in the Reaping. That's why I should have let Cora have the first pick in the spike cavern."

I glance up at Alia, and see fresh tears in her eyes. Slowly, she reaches out and takes one of my hands in her own. "You can still win this. Don't... you'll have the rest of your life to think about the past. For now, think about the future. You can win. You just need to believe that you can."

**SCEPTOR WHISHART, DISTRICT 10 MALE**

"Answer my question, bitch!" I hiss, slapping the girl from 7 round the face hard. She falls to the ground with a weak moan, the blood already dripping from her face... Phlox and I were just taking a little walk through the labyrinth, and we found the girl from 7 all on her own... What a pity.

So, after she tried to run away, Phlox tied her hands together with her belt, and we've got her kneeling on the floor in front of me. Since she's been running around and spying on all of the other tributes, she's got to know stuff about them... Right?

There's a tree carved into her cheek, and her face is covered in dried blood. It's a rather unpleasant sight really... For anyone aside from me. Even Phlox recoils a little, but I can't help but stare hungrily at it. Whoever would be depraved enough to do something like that? Probably Norelle, unless the girl from 11 or the boy from 8 showed their true colours... Who knows?

Grabbing her by the hair, I pull her back into a kneeling position and bring my face very close to hers, gazing deep into her eyes. They're the colour of spring... So pretty. I wonder if she'll be quite so pretty once I'm done with her.

Slowly, gazing right into my eyes, she spits into my face. Blood and saliva mingles to dribble down my face, and I don't even bring up a hand to wipe it away. It slides down my face as she stares into my eyes. She's so foolish...

"You filthy little District 7-" Phlox explodes furiously behind me, but I hold my hand up to quieten her. She does so reluctantly, breathing hard. Bringing up one hand, I wipe the spit off my face.

"That was pretty damn stupid," I tell her, and there is plain rage in my voice. She recoils a little at my tone, but tries to retain the strength in her eyes. She's got spirit, I'll give her that, although far too much to be sensible. Perhaps it would be better if I just put her down...

Raising my knives, I wave them in front of her face.

"You see this, District 7? These are my little friends. I cut up the boy from your District with them... Right to little pieces, like an animal. I sliced him to pieces while he still _lived_." I'm attempting to scare her now, to make her tell me what's going on with the other tributes- since she's been watching them, she probably knows their strengths and weaknesses... Things that are useful for me.

She grits her teeth and looks away, revulsion in those lovely green eyes of hers. She doesn't want to listen to me while I describe how I killed the boy from her district... Oh what a pity.

"First I cut into his arm lightly and severed into his skin... Just lightly, so the blood only came out in a thin line." in a way of demonstration, I bring one knife up to her arm and press the blade lightly into her skin. She lets out a hiss of pain and throws herself backwards onto the ground. I watch her with quite some amusement. Standing over her, I stare down with cold eyes and press a foot on her stomach.

"Wanna tell me what the others can do?" I smirk, staring down at her. Phlox stands beside me, a look of bloodlust in those beautifully crazy eyes of hers. Her hand finds mine and we hang on to each other as the girl from 7 stares up at us in disgust.

"No." she hisses, narrowing her eyes at us. There's something in her eyes that tells me she does not want to tell us for a reason... An emotional attachment? I don't know. Or just sentimentality or something... I don't know. But there is a reason. And I want to know.

"You sure?" Pressing my foot down as hard as I can into her chest, I kneel down and point my knife into her throat. She stares down at the metal for a few seconds, fear covering her face, before she shakes her head. I can't help but feel slightly gleeful about her choice. Another long, torturous kill.

She just stares up at me, and there is total fear and hatred in her eyes. I stare right back as Phlox laughs, narrowing her eyes at the girl.

"Last chance, bitch." Phlox whispers, and the girl from 7 just shakes her head and shuts those spring green eyes as I bring both of my knives to her throat with a gleeful smile. I begin to make the first cut into her skin, just as a powerful blow knocks me to the side. Clutching the back of my head I spot the boy from 8 standing there, a look of fury on his face.

"What are doing?!" I scream at him, and slash forwards with my knife to chop his pathetic head off. But the girl from 11 stabs forwards with an axe and I have to dodge to the side, as he takes out a machete from his belt. There are a bow and arrows slung over his back.

Phlox runs at him with a vicious war cry, but he parries her blow with his machete and elbows her hard in the face, before the boy from 3, a look of fear on his face, stabs forwards with a long, jagged knife.

"Fuck!" shrieks Phlox as the knife digs deep into her arm. The boy seems almost shocked at what he's done and pulls it out swiftly, as blood begins to flow down her arm. For a second the two of them just stare at the blood, before Phlox screams and runs towards him, weapons held high. However, the girl from 7 raises an axe and throws it at her. It misses by centimetres, and she pulls back her arm to throw again.

I slash both knives towards the girl from 11, but the boy from 8 hits me hard with his sheath of arrows and slashes at me with his knife. It sinks into the skin of my abdomen- I hiss out in pain and jump backwards. It's me verses the girl from 11 and the boy from 8, and Phlox verses the boy from 3 and the girl from 7.

Soon, I realise how hopeless it is. Both Phlox and I are bleeding copiously from our wounds, and I quickly signal at her to run. Together, we sprint into the labyrinth away from them, putting one foot in front of the another as quickly as we can. An arrow hits me in the leg and I fall forwards flat onto my face, but Phlox grabs my hand and pulls me to my feet, dragging me onwards.

**THORN AZALEA, DISTRICT 11 FEMALE**

Matthis, Cobain and I stand side by side, staring rather mistrustfully at the girl from 7. She doesn't seem to be bothering with us that much; she seems a little preoccupied with the nasty gash on her neck. She's rubbing water from her canteen into it, and clearly doesn't know what she's doing. But since we're not allies... What are we supposed to do?

Eventually, after watching her struggle for so long, Matthis rips a piece off the end of his shirt and hands it to her. She takes a few seconds to take it but finally does so at the insisting look he's giving her, and ties it around her neck.

Then, she turns to Cobain. "You wanted to be my alliance in Training..." I can't help but feel a little jealous at that. So he approached her, did he? Immediately, I feel an urge to run her through, but contain myself. Killing somebody over boy jealousy would be marginally stupid and shallow. Just marginally.

"Yeah," he says, rubbing some of the blood off his machete onto his shirt. "I remember you." then, Cobain turns to us and raises his eyebrows. Matthis smiles and nods, looking at her a little shyly.

"You could be our ally now... If you want. You might do better in a pack." Matthis says, running his hands through his hair rather bashfully. For a few seconds the girl from 7 just looks at us, considering. There's a very split look on her face, and I can tell she's thinking about it. I step forwards and say, rather flatly,

"If you don't then we'd better keep fighting, because don't think we're letting you run away."

Cobain and Matthis both laugh, but she gives me a slightly challenging look. However, seeing I don't mean it seriously (I do, but you know...), a small smile comes onto her face.

"Alright then." she says with a shrug. "I guess I'm not doing too well on my own... I'm Katara."

"Thorn," I reply coolly, holding out a hand. She grasps it and we shake.

"But you can call me... Little Miss Window Thrower."

**Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it (I don't personally, but ya know..), and sorry about the delay once again. **


	28. Day 10

**I listened to Undertow by Nightwish writing Alia's part. Just to let you know, it's good to listen too for it- it's plainly epic orchestral music. And Hang 'Em High by My Chemical Romance for the bit with Sceptor and Phlox..**

**POVS IN THIS CHAPTER**

**Alia, District 12**

**Phlox Astridei, District 3 **

**Cobain Renard, District 8**

**James Ammolite, District 2**

**ALIA, DISTRICT 12 FEMALE**

I begin to walk down the tunnels alone for the first time. Jerry and I decided to split up as allies last night because I don't think either of us can take the grief of losing another ally and, really... I'm not going to win this, and I don't want to hold him down. However, I don't think that means I'm going to give myself up just yet.

There is the vague dripping of any cave over my head, as well as the clicking of the Pit Dwellers. I'm getting close to their lair, I know that, and I'm going to have to be careful. Why not go back? Because who knows what's behind me, since I cannot see in the dark very well. It's like knowing that's something's there, and still not wanting to turn. William's... William's ghost. That's what I can imagine there, standing behind me with knowing eyes.

And I know if I turn around, something will be there. So I'm not going to.

The dark seems to get thicker and thicker the further I walk until it almost solidifies around me, as if I'm walking at the bottom of a lake or something like that. The air smells of damp and chalk. Soon, I cannot even see my hands as I continue to walk- it feels like I'm being swallowed up by the labyrinth. Completely swallowed up, so that I cannot escape.

So I push one arm out in front of me to guard my way, biting my lip. It feels like suicide to be coming down here, but I'm certain it's not. It's like... it's like I'm being drawn here by something and I'm not sure what it is. There's something about this labyrinth that feels rather strange to me; it's almost like I was born to... to come here. All of these things seem to be making sense in my head now, everything. All of my life.

I'm already going crazy after an odd three hours alone? Damn.

The sound of running water clicks me out of my reverie. Glancing around, I stare around at the place, straining my eyes for some hint of something, of anything... It sounds like a waterfall. A small smile comes onto my face. So that's what's down here, is it? A waterfall... But it would be so easy to get lost down here. And my bones would be found in a thousand years time by who knows what...

Kneeling down, I rummage in my pack for a few moments and eventually pull out a matchbox. I light a match and then, holding it in one hand, look into my supplies. Quickly I find what I'm looking for, and taking the match in my teeth, I attach it to a nook on the wall. A long spool of thread. It's not visible and it would be very difficult to follow since it's so thin. Any other tribute would presume it to be some kind of cobweb, I'm sure of it.

Taking the spool in one hand, I carefully press myself against the wall and extinguish the match carefully, knowing that to do otherwise would mean that any other tribute could spot me easily. I begin to edge further down into the labyrinth, deeper than anyone else has gone before, I'm certain of it.

I edge my way towards where the sound of running water is coming from, and soon a pale blue light appears on the horizon. It's getting louder now, and I can smell the familiar scent of damp rocks that comes with any underground spring... Then, I spot it. Far in the distance, there's a cavern, containing the waterfall and a long river. There's a rather ghostly green light in the room, and I find myself becoming strangely drawn to it. Keeping the spool of thread in one hand, I walk towards the cavern, taking my long knife in one hand. I'm almost certain this is some kind of trap- the whole situation screams that the Gamemakers are going to kill me.

Well, if I am going to die now, I don't think there's anything I can do it. My heart speeds up a little and I shut my eyes for a second, biting my lip.

Perhaps this death, if there is any death at all, won't be as painful as a death I could face at the hands of one of the others. If I die, I'll be able to be with William, with Cora, with Julia, and... and my parents. Would it honestly be so bad? No, come on, Alia. You are going to try and survive for them. They wouldn't want you to just give up your life.

So, although I rather don't want to, I turn away from the cavern and begin to follow the thread back to where I first started. I'm not going to play games with the Gamemakers; if they want me dead, they'd better send someone after me. I'm not dying part of one of their little entertainments, like Cora did. That, in my opinion, is one of the most disgusting and barbaric things. These people enjoy our deaths, like some horror story.

Well, Capitol people, this is not a horror story. This is real life, and real people who are dying. Not some joke.

I can hear footstep in front of me me and point my knife into the blackness leading back to the rest of the labyrinth. There is somebody there, I'm sure of it. I can hear hard breathing. Very... very hard breathing. I frown. That's not one somebody, that's too somebodies. And I can hear the sound of murmuring.

"I want to find that bitch from 7 and cut her little heart out..." A girl's voice, I can tell from the high pitch. But I can't put my finger on whose voice it is. Since I didn't really keep track of deaths, I'm not exactly sure who it might be... Um... The girl from 4 who swore during interviews? The girl from 2? Oh my God..

No. No it's definitely not either of them, but I think I know who it might be. The girl from 3. The crazy vicious one.

"Not if I get to her first..." a male voice. Shit, is it the Careers? No, it's only two people. The boy... I think it's the boy from 10, the one who cut up the boy from 7. They both laugh, and I hear them getting closer and closer... I freeze and press myself against the wall, hard. They're getting closer and closer...

"Who do we still have to kill? Both from 1, James from 2, Matthis from 3, that bitch from 7, the boy from 8, both from 11..." the boy continues, and I can hear a vicious pleasure in his tone. Is he actually looking forward to killing people? What a fucking psycho..

But they've forgotten me, which is definitely a good thing. That means that they don't know I'm alive, meaning they won't go specifically looking for me. But that does not remove the fact that the two most vicious players in the Games are a few metres away from me, discussing murder.

I am quite literally _dead_.

"And that tiny little thing from 12," the girl says, with unpleasant glee at mentioning me. My fists tighten. So they do remember me, do they? Well that... complicates the situation. "How'd she even get this far, anyway? She's so scrawny."

They both laugh again, and I feel my blood boiling. Sure I'm not big, but is anyone from District 12? No. It figures that the girl from a rich district and a boy who's district provides meat would be able to laugh at my origins.

"Because all of her pathetic allies give themselves up for her... They're so sad. Why would you give yourself up like that?" the boy replies, and I can practically see the smirk on his face. They both stop, and I hear the unpleasant sounds of kissing. I pull a disgusted face- is this normal? Aren't these two in these Games to kill each other? I wish I could tell them to get a room, but I'd face a very painful death if I did.

Still... tempting...

"I'd give myself up for you any day..." the girl breathes, and I can't help but question her intelligence. Seriously? Seriously?

"You would?"

"No."

They both laugh and walk onwards, going the way that I went before. Both walk within inches of where I am, and I feel the girl very nearly brushing my arm and hold my breath, shutting my eyes and awaiting death... But she continues without comment. Opening my eyes, I stare after her, confused. Didn't she feel me standing right there? But she's attached herself to the boy again.

Lovely.

Heart still thumping hard, I break into a slow run back towards the higher parts of the labyrinth, breathing hard. So... so close. It's only when that I get back into the light that I feel a hand on my shoulder and freeze. Turning around, I come face to face with the girl from 3. There is a nasty smirk on her face.

"Oh sweetheart," she leers, face inches away from mine. "You didn't really think we couldn't hear you?"

**PHLOX ASTRIDEI, DISTRICT 3 FEMALE**

I smirk down at the little girl. I have a hand around her neck, squeezing gently, and her eyes are popping with terror. Sceptor is down in the labyrinth still, since he saw this weird waterfall thing and wanted to check it out. So I said I'd come back and take care of the brat from 12.

Pulling my knife out of my belt, I point it at her throat and laugh cruelly at the fearful expression on her face. Pathetic little baby. "Aww, are you frightened?" I ask in a mock baby voice, laughing again at the look of indignant fury on her small, heart shaped face.

"Good." Bringing one hand to her left cheek, I begin to pull at the flesh like an old-fashioned grandmother might do to a young child. However, I don't stop when it becomes painful. Pulling as hard as I can, I watch as her face contorts as she tries not to scream. Then she does, a terrible, ear splitting scream than nearly pushes me backwards. I let go and look, in immense satisfaction, at the red finger marks on her skin.

"Poor baby... Now hold still so I don't make a mess."

Bringing my knife to her throat, I position it at her skin and smirk at the look of terror in her eyes as the steel digs into her tender flesh. A droplet of blood bubbles up, and I wipe it off with my finger and slowly, lick it off. There is a look of horrified disgust in her eyes as I chuckle again, before readying myself to slice her neck into ribbons.

But a shout from behind me stops my hand. Turning around, confused, I spot somebody running through the tunnels towards us... It's Sceptor. He's screaming and running, not even bothering to fight... I drop the girl and she falls to the floor with a frightened squeak, as Sceptor runs towards us, sweat pouring down his forehead. But it's not just him, I realise. There's something behind him.

It's only when it enters into the light that I realise what it is. It's a bull.

With a shriek I kick the girl from 12 to the ground, hoping that it will go for her instead of us, and follow Sceptor up through the labyrinth towards the surface. However, when I glance back, I realise that it has no interest in her. It's gone straight past her, in fact- it hasn't even noticed she's there.

Gritting my teeth, I continue to run. It's ginormous, and it's horned head is down as it chases us, skidding round corners with enraged bellows.

We run blindly away from it, terrified. But it does not stop going... I find myself growing more and more tired as I run, as my legs begin to grow number and number... There is a terrible stitch growing in my stomach, and I realise I have to stop. With one last wheeze, I shoot Sceptor a miserable look and fall to my knees, cowering. I can't go any further.

On my knees, I face away from the bull, listening to it as it gallops closer and closer, it's head down low to gore me. I ready myself for death, shuddering and shaking as it gets so close to me I can smell it's horrible, stagnant breath on my back...

But, like with the girl from 12, it runs straight past me.

Opening my eyes, I frown as I stare after it in confusion. What's going on? I was kneeling there, waiting to die... And it just galloped straight past me. Then, I feel a horrible dread beginning to rise in my stomach. It's not me that the beast is running after. It's Sceptor.

"SCEPTOR!" I shriek after his retreating shape. I will him in my heart to keep running, to lose the beast or kill it, like Theseus killed his minotaur... He turns to look at me, his hazel eyes flashing in the dim light of the cavern, and stops, heaving and breathing hard. "NO!"

The bull is upon him. He lets out a scream of shock as he is thrown into the air by it's charging head, and crashes into the dead end behind him. I can only watch in horror as the creature bows it's head and runs at him again, and he lets out another shriek as it's horns are buried deep into his back. Blood begins to roll down his skin as, terrified, he grips onto it's horns and attempts to steer it away, to no avail.

Using him grabbing onto it's horns as an advantage, the bull charges at a wall, smashing him into it hard. I hear a disgusting crack as something breaks inside of him, his spine perhaps, and I let out a moan. Sceptor goes limp as blood dribbles down his chin as the bull continues to gore him, slamming him again and again into the wall.

Crack... crack... crack...

Each time he smashes into the wall, a splash of blood coats the stones behind him. How can he not be dead? His whole body is hanging limply, his eyes almost lifeless as he stares in horror at the creature that now has it's horns buried deep into his stomach as it smashes him again and again into a wall...

After what seems like hours I hear the cannon that tells me he's gone.

_Boom!_

I just stare numbly as the bull runs away into the blackness, away from me. Sceptor lies against the wall, flopped over, as he continues to bleed against the stones.

**COBAIN RENARD, DISTRICT 8 MALE**

We all hear the cannon that signals another tribute dead. Back in the district, if I'd heard a child had died I would have mourned and been miserable. But in here? It's a celebration. How sick is that? I'm celebrating another child's death.

Thorn, Matthis, Katara and I sit in a circle in a cavern, staring at the remnants of a fire burning out in front of us. It is smouldering rather pathetically. We cooked some of our bread over it this morning, for lack of anything better to do, and we haven't said much since. We're supposed to be planning how we're going to electrocute the Careers, but there don't seem to be many of them left now. Nevertheless, Matthis seems to think it's still useful, and he's a lot smarter than I am. So live and let live.

The big question is, for me in particular, when is there going to be a Feast? We really need one, especially since we need that damned battery if we're going to do anything... We had a sponsor gift a few hours ago, a small loaf of bread, with a note. I couldn't read it- the words just jumbled themselves up in my head. Maybe it's the fact I've never been to school, maybe it's something else, something more mental. I just... I just can't read. I hate it. It makes me feel like everyone else has a special power that makes them better that I don't have...

I will read, though. If I ever get out of these Godforsaken games, I'm going to go to school and try to learn. That'll give me something to do, and I'll be able to read on dark stormy nights, like my father does. Until I go blind, like Grandfather Woof.

"Attention, attention, tributes..." the sound of a Capitol voice echoes around the arena, and we all sit up. My ears prick up at the sound- this could be a feast! "Commencing tomorrow at dawn, there will be a feast at the Cornucopia,"

YES! It's like the Capitol are mind readers, it really is. That is pretty damn good, especially since I was just thinking about it... Hey, maybe they've got something implanted in our skulls? No... I think I'd remember that...

"Each one of you needs something badly. And we are going to be... generous hosts. This will be the only announcement." and the transmission ends with a crackly playing of the Panem National Anthem. We all grin.

"Generous indeed!" Matthis says cheerfully, and everyone laughs. Finally, his intelligence is going to come in useful. Well it has already, but... In the killing sense.

"I swear to God, if we don't get a battery, I'm going to throw a diva tantrum on the Gamemakers' asses," mutters Thorn, who has been rather irritated ever since Katara joined our alliance. I shoot her an amused look.

"How exactly are you going to do that?" I ask, and she shrugs, a small smirk coming onto her face.

"I'll sit on top of the Cornucopia and refuse to move." the girl from 11 says in a nonchalant voice, and we all laugh again. We all feel a lot more light-hearted knowing that we now have a chance to get that stupid battery and finally put our plan in motion.

"And I'll shit all over their precious little arena."

**JAMES AMMOLITE, DISTRICT 2 MALE**

A feast, eh? Should be... interesting. I hope Damascus and Emmeline show up, so I can crack their sorry skulls. So they betrayed me, did they? Well they'll regret it. I've got almost everyone in these damned Games on my special killing list: Phlox, Sceptor, Damascus, Emmeline, the boy from 8... I hope it was one of them who died earlier when the cannon went, and I hope it was painful.

When they turn up and go and look for their little gifts from the Gamemakers, I'll murder them as slowly and horribly as I can. Hopefully, by the end of tomorrow, I will be the Victor of these Games and I'll be going home in glory. For my brother.

I sit on top of the Cornucopia, holding a kukri in either hand and watching the entrances to the largest cavern with my milky white eyes. I'll kill anyone who takes a step in here, or I'll push them in for the Slaughterfish. I hope the Pit Dwellers make an appearance too- I'd like to see what they did to Norelle repeated multiple times.

Oddly, I almost miss Norelle. She wasn't much, but she was... she was from home. I almost miss Damascus too- out of all the Careers I started off with, he was definitely the most agreeable. Emmeline was alright, in a girlish way. Scarlett was deranged, but I got along with her just fine. Let's... let's skip over that annoying fucker Tom.

Smiling to myself, I extend my hand in a peace sign at the roof of the enormous cavern. It's almost comedic, the fact that I'm doing the peace sign at a bunch of people I killed... Then, I do another peace sign at the ground, for Scarlett, Norelle and Tom. Somehow, I don't think they'll be going to heaven. But then, neither will I, so who am I to judge?

I'm not sure where my brother will have gone.

Gritting my teeth, I think about tomorrow. What do I need? Nothing. I have everything I need- I suppose the Gamemakers will give me armour or something. That'd be nice. Or coffee, so I can chase after that stupid fast boy from District 8.

Who knows?

**11. Julia Wreve, District 5**

**10. Sceptor Whishart, District 10**

**Well, since Sceptor cut up cows for his job I figured it was a bit of a fitting end for him to be gored to death by a bull, not to mention the Theseus and the Minotaur references in this chapter... Will put up another chapter in a coupla hours to make up for the few days of none. **


	29. The Feast

**Ready for... The Feast? Apologies in advance if your tribute dies but... There can only be one winner, r-right? Just as a warning, my older brother is an army cadet and will shoot you if you attempt to kill me... Just sayin'...**

**POVS IN THIS CHAPTER**

**Matthis Elder, District 3**

**James "Watcher" Ammolite, District 2**

**Jerry Oldfield, District 11**

**Phlox Astridei, District 3 **

**MATTHIS ELDER, DISTRICT 3 MALE**

"Sparky, wake up!" I feel somebody shaking me from my sleep. I open my eyes with a groan- nobody should be up this early, even in the Hunger Games. Katara stands above me, bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, with her pack already slung over her back. Cobain is still snoring gently next to me, but Thorn is up and going already, with the look of somebody who has been up for hours.

As I rub my eyes, Katara moves her hand to shake Cobain awake. He awakens quickly, and she holds out her hand to help pull him to his feet- he takes it. Glancing across the room, I spot the look of jealousy on Thorn's face at their contact, and barely stifle a laugh. Most of the time, I just want to marry Thorn. She's so... I can't even put a word to it.

Seeing my stare, the girl in question shoots me an irritated look. "Would Sir like to move his esteemed arse before I kick it all the way to District 12?" Thorn says in an immensely faux Capitol accent, and I roll my eyes, getting to my feet. She gives me a small, rather nervous smile, and I return it. Although Cobain seems rather excited about the feast, not all of us have been training since we were five.

We all set out for the Cornucopia- it'll take us a good half hour to make the long walk up there, so we'll have plenty of time to wake up. We talk in sleepy voices and share around a canteen of water and a loaf of bread as we walk, and soon we're ready, with hearts pounding.

I can't help but feel rather nervous. There are only nine of us left in the Games now- the most dangerous, crazy ones. Well, the girl from 12 is still alive and the boy from 10 died yesterday, contradicting my last statement but... You know what I mean.

And when we step into the Cornucopia and spot the girl from 3 and the boy from 2 fighting, I feel another unpleasant jolt in my stomach. And it worsens as they see the four of us and turn around, sprinting towards us with loud war cries.

This will be the first proper fight I've got into. And I'm not looking forward to it.

Thorn, Cobain and Katara run towards them with weapons held high and I run behind them, a knife held in either hand. I'm screwed... I'm screwed...

There is the clang of metal on metal, and I watch as Cobain and the boy from 2 advance on each other, weapons swirling fast enough to make my mind melt. There's no way I'm getting into that fight, so I take the easier option and run at the girl from 3, who is fighting Thorn and Katara.

"MATTHIS, GET THE PACKS!" Thorn screams at me, dodging a sword that swings inches away from her neck. I change course and run towards the Cornucopia instead, shutting my eyes. I've never managed to jump over the moat before...

The water gets closer and closer, and I can actually see the Slaughterfish under there, snapping as they wait for their next prey... Gritting my teeth, I speed up to a full on sprint as it gets closer and closer, shutting my eyes as I wait for it. Then, when my feet are centimetres away from the running water, I spring as high as I can, propelling myself forwards with my arms...

I feel my feet being submerged by water and let out a loud squeak, throwing myself forwards as I feel the horrible creatures starting to cluster around my ankles. The first bite hurts so much that I scream, and the agony drives me forwards as I grip onto the island housing the Cornucopia and pull as hard as I can. The horrible fish is still latched onto my ankle, teeth still in my foot, and I take one knife and stab it countless times until it drops off.

Blood is pouring from the wound on my foot, but I know I don't have time to pay it heed. What I'm worried about now is getting back, carrying four packs and with a bust ankle... Hobbling towards the table, I grab the packs and stick them in my backpack, before looking at the water with terrified eyes. The others are too busy fighting to notice me...

Then, I look back at the table and it's like a light pings above my head. Running back towards it, I brush all of the other packs off it, onto the floor, and experimentally try to drag it... It moves along the stony ground. It's not bolted into place- perfect! But the big question is... will it float?

Pushing it towards the moat, I shut my eyes, before hoisting it into the water. It falls the few inches and splashes, spraying dirty water everywhere. I hold my breath, waiting for it to sink... But it holds. A small smile comes onto my face as I step onto it with one foot, testing my weight. It takes it.

Stepping forwards, I stumble as quickly as I can over the table turned float, looking around... And then I notice something that makes my heart freeze. The boy from 2 has Cobain by the throat and is throttling him, using both hands. My ally's face is turning blue, a look of fury on his face as he rains down blows on his attacker... But nothing works. I have to distract him. Glancing back towards the island, I spot the pack with the number 2 on it and run back onto the island, scooping it up.

"Hey, boy from 2!" I shout, not knowing his name. Nevertheless, he turns towards me and his grip on Cobain loosens a bit. I wave the pack at him, making sure he can see the number, before dangling it over the moat. His face drains of colour and he drops Cobain to the floor, and grabs both of his weapons, running at me.

"Put that down, you little son of a bitch!" he snarls, sprinting towards me. I continue to dangle it- I'll drop it when he gets close enough. I've already got a plan formulating in my head.

He attempts to run across the table, but it begins to sink, not being able to take his heavy weight. It barely took mine, and I'm tiny, so he has no hope. With a growl, he leaps over onto the island and begins to run towards me again. When he is a mere five metres away, I loosen my fingers... His pack falls into the water with a plop.

The boy from 2 stops for a second, staring at the pack on the floor... Then, he growls and his face goes bright red as fury overtakes him. He begins to walk towards me, gripping a weapon in both hands. I swallow. Although I have a clear plan, it may not work... It's certainly a risk... Shit, shit, shit...

"You'll pay for that, 3..." he whispers, before pulling back his arm and breaking into a run. When I was at school, I read about these things called matadors who used to kill bulls in an ancient country called Spain. The technique I'm using here is, I think, roughly the same. But instead of barging into a wall, the boy from 2 is going to fall into a moat full of slaughterfish. I gulp at the thought- technically my first kill. If he dies at all.

**JAMES "WATCHER" AMMOLITE, DISTRICT 2 MALE**

I sprint towards the boy from District 3; how dare he distract me like this?! And he's just standing there calmly, as if waiting for something to happen... Well something is going to happen. I'm going to run him through and throw his scrawny body to the slaugherfish. And I'll enjoy it.

Raising my kukri to run him through, I throw myself forwards for momentum... And just when my weapon is inches away from his face, he steps to the side... I only register what's happening as it happens. I plunge downwards towards the moat and... and the slaughterfish. There is a great splash as I hit the water, and immediately I feel the fish beginning to cluster around me. Throwing myself forwards, I try to swim towards the side, but a terrible pain stops me.

Treading water, I scream out as they begin to latch onto my body and bite and bite at my skin, ripping of pieces. Immense agony fills me as I desperately swim for the side, feeling more and more of them grabbing at me, sinking their teeth into my skin... The pain is agonising, and I can feel my skin being ripped off my body as they bite and bite...

Then, my torn and bleeding hand finds the stone side and I heave myself and God knows how many of those demonic creatures out of the moat and onto land. They are still tearing at me, even as I lie on the land and scream out in agony as they rip and tear... Then, I begin to slam my body on the floor, squishing them with my weight. Fish guts splatter all over the floor, and their blue blood dribbles all over me, but I pay no head.

I am torn up, bruised, bleeding but I do not care. They will all _die_, all of these damned creatures. The other tributes seem to think I am dead, as I am obscured from them by the Cornucopia. But I refuse to die, not at that pathetic little boy's hands. So I continue to fight, ripping those creatures off me and throwing them to the floor, stamping on them. Blood pours down me from deep, horrible wounds, but I barely even notice. They gave gone so deep that I cannot even feel.

When they are all eventually dead, I collapse to the ground, exhausted and dripping blood and dirty water all over the floor. The other tributes are still fighting, and I think even more have arrived to join the battle. I don't even care. They'll all think I'm dead, and that the cannon went off and they just didn't hear it. I'm too weak to fight any more, I'm just going to play dead.

That... that bastard from 3 thinks he can just steal my pack and throw it to the fishes, does he? Well he'll see. If I manage to survive my wounds, which I might just be able to do (what with all the supplies in the Cornucopia), I will hunt him down and rip him to pieces.

**JERRY OLDFIELD, DISTRICT 11 MALE**

I smash my hammer towards the boy from District 1's head, seething with hatred. His little girlfriend killed Julia, so they both deserve to die! I will avenge her, even if it means I have to kill. I just don't care!

He parries my blow with his sword and slashes towards my stomach with his sword, and I duck backwards. However, he expects it and slices at my chest, missing my inches. With a growl, I raise my hammer over my head and send it down towards him, hard enough to squish him into a pulp. Just in time, he spins to the right and sends a blow towards my head, catching me in the back of the neck.

I feel the blood spurting down from the shallow wound, and it infuriates me even more. He's only just cut into my skin, but it still hurts like hell. Spinning around, my hammer swishes and catches him in the side, sending him to the floor. He yelps in pain, but the girl from his district is engaged in combat with the girl from 7. There's nothing to save him now.

The normal, friendly Jerry is gone right now. All I want to do is kill him, and then go after that girl who killed Julia. They both will die, I swear it Julia!

He scrambles like an insect along the floor away from me, clutching his sword, and sends it swinging uselessly at me. He's hopeless now, I know it. My hammer goes back over my head and comes swinging down at him, but he pulls himself out of the way at the last moment, grabbing a knife out of his belt.

I growl and swing at him again, but then his arm moves quickly and I feel a rush of pain in my chest... Then, there is the warm feeling of blood. Slowly, I look down... There is a knife in my chest, embedded deep in. Right up to the handle. My hammer falls to my side as I stare down at the knife in my chest in shock. I can scarcely even feel the pain... But I can see the blood alright. Dripping down my front like a bright red river.

I turn to the boy from 1, who has got to his feet and is holding his sword to my throat... Bringing one hand up, I take the handle of the knife and slowly, agonisingly, pull it from my chest. Now this hurts. It feels like my chest is splitting in two and I gasp, before bringing the knife up to my face. It's blade is slick with my blood.

With a hiss, I throw it to the floor beside me and it lets out a clatter, before skidding away down the stones. They're already wet with the blood coming from my chest.

I stumble to the side, slipping on my own blood, and my hammer comes swerving round in a clumsy arc, hitting him in the side. But he barely even notices it, and taking both hands, pulls my hammer from my grip and throws it behind him. It clatters backwards across the stone floor, and I watch it go rather sadly. It was a useful thing.

Oddly, I feel rather... Relaxed. At rest. Even though the blood is coursing rather heavily from the wound in my chest, I can scarcely feel the pain. It's almost strange. Like my body's just given up on life, and all I want to do is die. Go to sleep for good.

Alia's words ring through my mind, telling me that the only way for me to win is for me to believe that I'm going to win... But that's not going to happen. My wound is too deep, and I'm dying already. The sounds of this place are resonating in my ears, echoing again and again, and I can feel my vision going hazy... I can almost hear my father's words in my head.

"_Son, when you grow up, would you be the saviour of the broken, the beaten and the damned?" _

I fell out with my father not long after, but his words still haunted me. In a way, I have been a saviour of the damned- I've saved my allies a few times in these Games, making me their saviour. But they've all... they've all died. Gone to heaven.

His words resonate in my head again and again as the boy from 1 stares down at me with slightly pitying eyes. I don't need him to pity me, I need him to end me now. I'm grown, I've done what I was meant to do. And there's no saving me now. So who knows what'll await me in the afterlife?

They'll all carry on without me. I hope my girlfriend Lilly feeds Bark after I'm gone; I don't think she'd neglect him. I hope my crew can live on without me, and find somebody to take my place soon enough. I'm just sad I couldn't grow up and marry Lilly, and have a family of my own, and a son to repeat my father's word to me to.

I feel the tip of his sword at my neck, and almost embrace the feeling of freedom as it sinks in.

_Boom!_

And as I leave my body behind, I don't feel sad to be dead. I feel... complete.

**PHLOX ASTRIDEI, DISTRICT 3 FEMALE**

I hiss in pain as the girl from 11's axe sinks deep into my arm. Blood pools from the wound as I snarl and twist around, and she pulls it from my flesh only to slash at me again. I swing my leg around in a roundhouse kick, hitting her hard in the side, before stabbing forwards with both knives towards her chest.

She leaps backwards at the last moment and slashes an axe over her head, a look of hatred on her face. The blade whooshes past my ear, missing by centimetres, and I run forwards to headbutt her. My head makes contact with her stomach and she shrieks, falling backwards. I stand over her, breathing hard, both knives pressing against her throat.

"Fuck you!" she snarls, struggling against me and trying to roll out of the way, but I kick her hard in the stomach. She retches, clutching her stomach, wincing in pain. I smirk.

"Say goodnight." I breathe, and bring back a knife to stab her in the throat... Then, I feel a burst of pain in the back of my head and let out a scream, falling backwards and clutching my wound... And the arrow sticking out of it. Blood begins to pour down my hands from the wound as I reel around, searching for the culprit... Then I see a flash of wood as another arrow sinks into my throat and I fall backwards, gurgling.

The boy from 8 stands a few metres in front of me, a look of cold fury on his face as he strings his bow to fire another arrow. I lurch towards him, raising both of my knives to run him through, but he is too fast. Another arrow sinks deep into my stomach, driving me backwards and I trip, smashing to the floor.

Everything is going hazy. I can see the boy from 8, but he's paying no attention to me now- he's helping the girl from 11 up behind me and they're talking in low voices. The boy from 3 and the girl from 7 run over, and the four of them run back into the tunnels... I can see Emmeline and Damascus huddled together, trying to stifle a wound on Emmeline's leg. They go all hazy.

Bringing both hands to the shaft of the arrow in my neck, I attempt to cling to my one last vestige of life... But the blood is falling thick and fast from my wound now, and it simply coats my hands. There is nothing I can do now.

Sceptor... my poor love, dead yesterday at the hands of that bull. Now I am going to die too, and I can finally be with him... Thank God. It's strange the fact that I could fall so in love with such a psycho, but then again... I'm pretty crazy too. But I just can't believe that he's... well... gone. And now I'm going to die too.

I hope we end up together, wherever we go when we... you know... die. I don't think I could face an eternity without him. I'm just a pathetic young girl in love. Dear God.

I can almost see them now. Tom hitting on a host of devils, Scarlett and Norelle giggling in low voices, Riley complaining about his foot, and Sceptor... Sceptor holding out his hand for me to take, to take me into the abyss where I can be with him forever.

I am so bound by his resonating light that there's nothing for me to do... He can lead me home, lead me back to where I am supposed to be. And when this whole thing is sad and done, I'll follow the echo. I've heard him night after night calling my name... and I his.

And I will not escape. He is the only one that knows me, trusts me and believes me. To everyone else, I'm just that little psycho girl. I need him. And to get him... I just have to let go of what little life I have. He... he just leaves me defenceless.

So I take his hand willingly, and let him take me to where I'm supposed to be. With... with him.

_Boom!_

**9. Jerry Oldfield, District 11**

**8. Phlox Astridei, District 3**

**Okay, this chapter actually had me in tears... Sorry if it kinda sucked, because I'm a bit of an emotional wreck today, lol. **


	30. Day 12

**Sorry about the extremely long wait... I had a painful break up and couldn't really bring myself to do anything apart from sit in bed and listen to music... Well, yeah. There are only three more chapters (including this one), only two of which are in the arena. Then, we move on to possibly another SYOT :)**

**I have a few more tribute songs at the end. The full list will be at the end of the final chapter.**

**POVS IN THIS CHAPTER**

**Emmeline Oliver, District 1 Female**

**James Ammolite, District 2 Male**

**Alia, District 12 Female**

**Katara Winslow, District 7 Female**

**EMMELINE OLIVER, DISTRICT 1 FEMALE**

The first thing that comes to me as I awaken is the smell of smoke and the feeling of heat. Not overwhelming heat, but enough to make me feel a little uncomfortable. My eyes open slowly, and I sit up... And let out a gasp of shock. There is wood placed strategically around Damascus and I, most of which is... is on fire! A large pile is stacked up in front of the entrance to the cavern, flaming madly.

We're... we're trapped.

Turning to my right, I grab Damascus' shoulders and begin to shake at him, screaming his name again and again. His eyes blearily come open, and he stares at me in confusion for a moment. Then, he lets out a yell of fright as he spots the orange flames around us and leaps to his feet, whipping around, searching for the culprit.

Getting to my feet I follow his lead and look around helplessly for whoever did it and, more importantly, an exit. I can't die in the flames! Please no, God no! The flames are getting higher and larger, and the heat becomes unbearable. I can feel it in my very heart, my very soul...

"Please!" I scream, and my cry is echoed throughout the caverns, but goes unanswered. "Please! Someone, anyone!" Again and again I cry out, until my voice becomes too cracked and hoarse to do anything but moan. And who would come to our rescue anyway? We're just two ex-Careers, murderers... Swallowing, I take an axe from my pack in my hand and, with all my might, throw it at the pile of flaming logs. I can knock it over, perhaps?

But although the logs fall, the flames remain as they are, if not intensify. They lick at the stones, burning the wood to ashes. Perhaps we can wait until the flames die out? No, the fire is catching on the wood closer too us. Everything in this room apart from us is on fire.

"Damascus!" I cry out, as the flames begin to lick at my ankles. Dancing backwards, he catches me in his arms and lifts me into the air above his head and away from the flames. "What are you doing?!"

"Getting you out of this." he says grimly, holding me up in the air. There is a stoic, stubborn look in his eyes... he looks strange. What is he doing? There is fear there, too, but mostly there is something else... He's sacrificing himself to keep me alive.

"No, Damascus!" I shriek, but he's completely set in it now. I can't let him! I can't let him die for me, I'd rather die myself!

The flames are getting taller and taller, and they intensify in heat as Damascus carries me through them, wincing as they begin to lick at his legs and feet, burning him painfully. He bites his lip as he does so, though, holding me still to stop me struggling. Tears begin to dribble down his face as he carries me towards the exit, up to the top with flames... My God, how are we going to get through that?! Seeing my expression, Damascus gives me a sad look. Then, he lets out a scream of pain and almost drops me as the flames spread all of the way across the floor and staggers.

My head dangles inches away from the flames, my hair getting singed at the ends as I hang in mid-air, inches away from the fire. Letting out a scream of fear, I shut my eyes and wait for my head to be roasted... Then, I feel myself hoisted back into the air by weary arms. I am held high in the air by weakening arms, as Damascus staggers towards the exit, flames engulfing him...

"I love you, Damascus, I love you..." I whimper, as I look down at his mutilated face. The fire is consuming him now, eating him alive. His hair lies in singed strings around his face, and the skin is peeling away, leaving him raw underneath. The stench of roasting human fills my nostrils, and I can see his eyes popping. His eyelashes are burning away, blinding him. The smoke is blinding now, and hurts when I inhale.

"I love you, Damascus, I love you!" screaming to him and myself, I feel myself thrown into the air as he makes a last ditch effort to get me out of the burning cavern. Towards... towards the exit! Shutting my eyes, I feel huge pain going through every pore of my being and cry out in agony... Then, I feel my lungs clearing as I slam to the floor, smashing into it hard. The sudden impact knocks the breath out of me and, for a few moments, I just lie there, drinking in the deliciously clear air.

It's only then that I realise something. I may be safe, but Damascus is still in that cavern! Opening my eyes, I leap to my feet and run towards the doorway. Smoke is pouring out of it, contaminating the clean air, and I shove my arm over my nose and mouth to try and stop getting any more in my lungs. Breathing is shallow, and my skin doesn't make a particularly good gag since my sleeve was burned off in the fire.

Who set it?! Who the fuck set it?!

"Damascus! Damascus! Damascus!"

But I'm answered only by his frenzied screams, and the sound of him stumbling around in the cavern as he is slowly burned to death. The stink of human flesh being roasted fills my nostrils and I cry out again as I hear the sound that can only mean he has fallen to the floor. Sizzling, horrible sizzling, and more terrible shrieks.

For about five minutes, although it could be an eternity to me, I hear the sound of the cannon that tells me Damascus has died... His pain has ended. For a few moments I just stand there gasping, my mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. I sink to my knees.

_Boom!_

"Damascus..." Memories of him fill my head. How can he be dead? He can't be. He... he saved my life. But this is a Games in which he has trained for years to enter it, so he can win... But he gave it all up so I would live...

I don't feel like I'm going to live much longer. The burns that cover my body hurt so much that I feel like I might die just from that, and infection is sure to come. My God... My God...

"The fire didn't get you? I was hoping it would. Oh well. Just another kill."

**JAMES AMMOLITE, DISTRICT 2 MALE**

I stare down at Emmeline with distaste. She was pretty before the fire, and now, with burns covering her body and her hair half burned off, she isn't much of a looker. Oh well. With all of the other Careers dead, all I need is to kill Emmeline and... and then Eddie, my older brother, will finally be avenged. All of them gone. Eddie... I'll do this for you, my brother.

"You... you set that fire," she hisses, her face contorted. But she's barely recognisable from her burns, as her skin is peeling rather nastily. "You killed Damascus!"

"No shit with you, Emmeline." I growl, before unsheathing my kukri and pointing it at her throat. She takes in a deep breath and stares down, wide-eyed, at the metal sinking into her skin. Well, she isn't going to live much longer anyway, with those burns. Oh it was so sweet of Damascus to rescue her... What a pity I'm going to have to end their little romance. Forcefully.

"It's Lina," she replies, and there is cold hatred in her tone. Her eyes flicker down to the kukri, and she lets out a sigh. A tear dribbles out of her right eye, and makes the slow journey down her mutilated face. I follow it with my eyes. Emmeline snarls at my expression. "Aren't you going to kill me? I don't want to be here any more. I want to be with Damascus..."

I'm almost bored with the whole affair. Why are there so many hormones in these ridiculous Games? It's almost like everyone is a sex addict. I'm rather certain Sceptor and Phlox, at least, consummated their relationship... Or perhaps they're just masochists. Both are possible.

"Gladly. For... for Eddie."

And the kukri sinks deep into her neck. From what I can gather from the look of pain on her face, I'm almost putting her out of her misery. That fire really was a work of genius on my part. It means neither of them could fight back... And after the slaughterfish got me, I'm not exactly in my prime.

I'll have to rest up, if I want to face the other tributes.

_Boom!_

Withdrawing my kukri from her neck, I wipe the blood off on what is left of her shirt. That fire truly was a brilliant plan... And I've killed two of my biggest threats. My next big threat is that bastard from 8 or, as I've nicknamed him, Running-Boy. Then again, I'm not going to count out the girls from 11 or 7 either... The little kids from 3 and 12? I don't even know how they're this far in the Games.

Damascus and Emmeline were designed for my punishment. And they got it.

As I begin to walk away, I glance at the wounds on my body... Nasty. They're beginning to scab over, what with the medicine I got from sponsors last night, but I had to pretend to be dead by the Cornucopia for about an hour. It was unspeakably painful, not to mention boring. The boys from 3 and 8 and the girls from 7 and 11 would not stop yapping. Something about the moat, although I didn't catch most of it since my face was ground into the dirt.

I can't wait to kill them. I've got some throwing knives in my pack, which I can easily kill Running-Boy with. You know what else Running-Boy does? He sings. Maybe I'll make him sing for me before he dies... A funeral song.

Damn, I'm almost as crazy as Phlox or Sceptor was. And I almost enjoy it.

Glancing down at the blood on my hands, I wipe them on the scrappy remains of my trousers. Oh, I can't wait to get my hands on any of those damned fools. I'll rip them to pieces or maybe do an Enobaria and... and rip their throats out. Can I take that? I've never particularly been one for torture but then again... The Capitol loves a good show.

A rare smile comes into my face.

After I've rested up for another night, these Games will in the bag. I'll get Running-Boy and his little cronies tomorrow. And then that bitch from District 12. The little one. I wonder if she misses her brother? We're alike in that way: brothers who've died in these stupid Games. I almost pity her.

No, come on James. Only a few more kills and you can go home. You can do this. It was what you were born and raised to do. It's.. it's alright. I can do it.

**ALIA, DISTRICT 12 FEMALE**

I watch the boy from 2 as she walks away from the girl from District 1's body... He's talking to himself. I'm sure he thinks that he's only thinking it, but some people do that. Somehow, I imagine that he's not entirely sane anymore.

As stealthily as I can, I creep behind him, keeping my footfall as light as I can. If he can't see me, then he can't kill me. He's still muttering to himself, words that I can't quite make out, and wiping the blood from his victim off his weapons... I don't know what they're called.

I wince as I sneak past the girl from 1's corpse. She must have been in the fire from earlier; I could smell the smoke. Did he put her out of her misery, or was she dead when he got here? No, there's a stab wound in her neck. And blood on his weapon. What was I thinking, trying to be a sleuth? It would be wiser, I'm sure, to run away now. But perhaps if I catch him by unawares...

Catching sight of myself in a puddle of the girl's blood, I stare, transfixed. I... I'm different from the girl I remember looking at in the mirror on the morning the Games started. I was in the bathroom of my room in the Capitol, and I was just staring at myself. Back then, I wondered if I'd look any different if I came out of the Games. Older, wiser... crazier.

But looking at myself now, I only mark off the third. Crazy. I look like a feral, rabid little girl. My hair is in greasy tangles around my face, and my eyes are wild with bloodlust... I look like I've aged, but not physically. And there's dry blood all over my neck.

I look... I look wrong.

Blinking once, I look away to find that the boy from 2- I think he's called James?- has walked out of sight. Letting out a hiss of irritation, I stand upwards and brush myself down... And then a hand grabs over my mouth as I am pulled into the shadows. I let out a squeak of fear, as I feel a rough hand covering my lower face. I open my mouth to scream, but I am foiled.

Looking around, terrified, I find myself surrounded with people. The boys from District 3 and District 8 and the girls from District 7 and 11... Oh God. They've caught me. Fear fills me as I am dropped to the floor, as the four of them surround me... The girl from 11 was the one who grabbed me. She stares at me with disgust in her dark eyes. Scrambling around on the floor, I desperately try to escape but to no avail... Heart beating faster and faster, I am backed against a wall, holding my hands up desperately.

"Please..." I whimper. Not like this... not like this...

"She's only a little kid," I hear somebody whispering. It's the boy from 3, I think, with his quiet voice. It's higher than the boy from 8's, too. "She's... she's..."

"She's a competitor," the boy from 8 says in a rather final tone, as he looks down at me. I stare at him pleadingly, trying to make him change his mind and spare me... But he just shakes his head. "Only one comes out of here alive."

I feel an axe against my throat and look up in horror as the girl from 11 stands over me, a look of fierce concentration in her eyes. But there is also doubt there. I don't think these tributes are bad people, not like the Careers. They don't look like they're enjoying this in the slightest. And as the girl from 11 swipes her axe across her throat, I can see a tremble in her bottom lip.

A flash of pain goes through my throat as I collapse backwards, my arms weakening. Blood begins to spill from the wound, but I can scarcely even feel it. I just feel... just numb. My mouth opens slightly as they all walk away, talking in quiet voices. I am alone in this labyrinth now.

I can see them. Julia, Jerry, Cora and... and William. My brother William. They're all standing in front of me, sad smiles on their faces. They're embracing me into the alliance again, or the... the crew. I'm back with my crew, and we're all together now. That's how Jerry always said it should be.

They're beckoning for me to join them. I... I've got to go to them. Finally, I'm free of the labyrinth. The only way out is to die. A small, sad smile comes onto my face as my vision slowly, oh so slowly, fades to black.

_Boom!_

**KATARA WINSLOW, DISTRICT 7 FEMALE**

"I don't really see what the point is any more," Thorn says, a frown on her face. We are walking towards the Cornucopia, as we are going to set up the trap for James. We've got the plan all figured out: Matthis is going to set up the circuit that will electrocute the moat. And from there, we just have to get a wire to James, and he's dead. Frazzled to death, as my father would've put it.

We all stare at her. Matthis, who has the battery in one hand, is fiddling with the enormous cord of wire. He is tying the ends together, in an attempt to set it all up.

"What do you mean?" I ask. She shoots me a look. We don't got along very well, Thorn and I; I think she has a crush on Cobain and doesn't appreciate having another girl around. Well, although I certainly find him, well... attractive... he's not my type. Plus one, or both, of us is going to die. Kind of decreases the romantic mood.

"I mean, that with the four of us, couldn't we take out James?" Thorn argues, biting her lip. She's not normally this on edge; I guess killing that defenceless girl from District 12 really got to her. I can't blame her. Slaughtering a tiny child like that would disturb anyone, and I don't think Thorn's a bad person. Grumpy and snarky, sure, but not a bad person.

"We don't want to take any risks," Matthis replies absentmindedly, as he walks over to the moat and drops the large battery to the ground beside it. A small grin comes onto his face. "You know this will kill all the slaughterfish?"

Cobain laughs. "Can't wait to see them go."

Attaching a wire to either side of the battery, Matthis dangles them above the water for a few moments, a satisfied smirk on his face. Then, he drops them in. The water begins to bubble almost instantly, and then the water starts to swish around. A hundred slaughterfish are attempting to escape the electrical current, and we all laugh. It's a kind of sadistic pleasure, you might say.

A few of them start to float to the surface, and Cobain lets out a quiet cheer. "Brilliant!" he grins, punching Matthis affectionately in the shoulder. Not knowing his own strength, he knocks the breath out of the younger boy who reels backwards, clutching his shoulder. Thorn and I both burst out laughing, as Cobain's look turns sheepish.

Matthis turns back towards us, a look of annoyance on his face. Then, he glares at Cobain. "Save the punches for when we're not allies." he snarls... then, he stops. We all stop and stare at him. What he just said is so not Matthis-esque that it shocks me. He's usually the calm one, the quiet one... And he just dropped a bombshell that is entirely true. After James is dead... it's only us left. And we'll have to kill each other.

My heart freezes.

We all look around at each other a little nervously. And, for the first time since ecoming allies with these people, I feel a twinge of fear for them. Soon, we will not be either friends or allies. It could even be in a few hours. Very soon, we will be simply enemies.

Matthis looks a little miserably round at us, his eyes lingering particularly long on Cobain, before he shrugs and walks towards the wire. Picking it up, he begins to set up a circuit with one end.

"Well, we'd best continue if we're going to kill James tomorrow," he says in a quiet tone. "Or even tonight. Katara goes and lures him here. Cobain and Thorn fight him until I can get the wire to him, and he gets fried. After that... well, after that is after that."

He shoots us all an upset look, before continuing with his circuit. The rest of us just stand there numbly. What... what else is there to do?

**7. Damascus Sleik, District 1**

**6. Emmeline Oliver, District 1**

**5. Alia, District 12**

**Well, that's that chapter... Sorry about the wait... I've got a couple of songs that I thought were rather appropriate for tributes. **

**The song for Sceptor would have to be Gehenna, by Slipknot. Changed my mind about his. **


	31. Day 13

**Holy crap, it's the final arena chapter! I'm not going to say who has POVS, as you'll be able to see the winner straight off the mark, but... May the Odds be EVER in Your Favour! Every remaining tribute has multiple POVS. **

**THORN AZALEA, DISTRICT 11 FEMALE**

This... this is the end of it all. If we can kill James today, then we'll have to turn on each other. And I don't know how I could ever do that. Katara might be a little easier than the others, since I don't know her particularly well, but... I don't know how I'm going to be able to kill Matthis or Cobain. Quite frankly, I'd rather one of them went home than me. But not James. I'm not going to let him go home. Even if I have to give up my own life to do it.

Opening my eyes, I realise that I am the last one awake. The others are all already up and crowded a plate of food, talking in low voices. When they see that I am up, Cobain gestures for me to join them and I do so. Taking a handful of dried apple, I listen to them talk.

"There's a... um... a high likelihood that most of us will die today..." Cobain mumbles, and I can hear the tremble in his tone. He is staring at the ground, not willing to look any of us in the eyes. "I just want to say that... that it's been an honour working with you guys."

We all look at the ground, not wanting to say anything. What is there to say? We could be killing each other in a couple of hours; it's very likely that we will be, in fact. But who will win? You never know. James could even win, if he can manage to take all of us and get past Matthis' trap. We are inside of the Cornucopia, where we slept last night. Soon, Katara will go out to lure him here. And Cobain and I will be ready.

"If this trap doesn't work, I give you all permission to kill me." Matthis says in a miserable tone, as he fiddles with the wire in his hand, carefully not touching the end. If he does, it will electrocute him before he can even get James with it. The water is our conductor of electricity, making it all the more dangerous and lethal.

Katara and Cobain laugh weakly, but I just look at the boy from 3. He's almost like my little brother, my annoying little brother... How could I ever kill him? Reaching forwards, I place a hand on his shoulder. He looks up at me, and I can see his eyes are wet with tears. "It will work. You're called Sparky for a reason!" I say, and we all laugh again. Although mine, at least, is choked with tears.

"I'm surprised you haven't thrown anyone out of a window so far in these Games, Little-Miss-Window-Thrower," Matthis replies teasingly, and I roll my eyes. Why are we doing this? Creating more bonds between us? Wouldn't it be better to sit in silence, making it easier to fight to the death in only a few hours? But I laugh again anyway. Then, I bring up a hand to pat Cobain's mess of blonde frizz.

"Wow, Zigzag, your hair gets even madder by the day," I mock, and we all laugh again. Katara pretends to be annoyed, crossing her arms.

"Don't I get a nickname? This is one cheap fucking deal..."

After laughing again, we all go silent. There's nothing more to say and, anyway, we all need to be ready for when James from 2 comes searching for us... It'll be soon. For a few more moments we sit completely still, not saying a word. I feel sick. In a few hours, I could either be dead or a murderer of my friends. But I know one thing: this will be the final day in these cursed Games.

"I think it's time..." Cobain says in a tense voice, and we all nod and get to our feet. We're all armed for the teeth and ready for the monstrous boy from 2... We will get him. I take an axe in both hands, and I've got a vest of knives on too, just in case. We took all of the remaining Cornucopia supplies, and we're ready for this. We exit the giant golden horn, and Matthis stays where he is at the centre. He has to do some final tests on the circuit, and make sure it's ready before we can get James to him.

Katara and I walk to one of the exits, and I stand to one side of it, axes at the ready. Cobain guards the other, ready to attack if James comes out. Before Katara enters the labyrinth to search for James, however, she turns to me. In a low voice, she says,

"Cobain... Do you like him? Like... like that?" For a few seconds I just stare at her. What am I supposed to say to that? I don't think I love Cobain, since love takes years to come, but... but I'm fond of him. And if we perhaps could spend more time together, I think I could fall in love with him... But we'll both probably be dead by this afternoon. However, in answer to Katara's question, I nod stiffly.

"Then I'm sorry about... about all this, for what it's worth. I know what it's like to lose someone you love. Good luck."

"Good luck to you too."

And with that, she sets off at a jog into the labyrinth.

**JAMES AMMOLITE, DISTRICT 2 MALE**

I skulk around in the darkness, a little way outside the huge cavern with the Cornucopia. They're all in there, getting ready... Well they can kiss their little heads goodbye. Because even with all of them, I can kill them all. How dare they think that they can try and trick me!? When that bitch from 7 comes along... tries to lure me... I'll throw a knife at her before she can run more than twenty metres.

They think they're so smart. Well they haven't met me.

She comes closer and closer down the tunnel, at a jog. She has an axe in one hand, a short sword in the other and I can see beads of sweat on her forehead. Oh I'll enjoy killing her, I think. She's only feet away from me now, her arms raised to strike... Stepping out, I lunge forwards with my kukri and she screams in alarm, dodging backwards. I smirk and swing my weapons over my head, advancing towards her with both swinging.

The girl from 7 begins to run down the corridor like their little plan says to do. Quickly, I rip a knife out of my belt and begin to chase after her, aiming the knife at her retreating back... God, they didn't think this through, did they? An ambush? Oh how original.

The knife leaves my hand and whooshes through the air towards her, a flash of metal. She notices and ducks at the very last second... But that doesn't change much. Although the knife hits her head instead of her throat, but I get the same results.

**KATARA WINSLOW, DISTRICT 7 FEMALE**

A blast of pain fills me as I feel the knife slamming into the back of my head. The momentum forces me forwards, and I fall to my knees with a shriek of pain. It's... it's agonising! Screaming and screaming with pain as I feel the knife digging deeper and deeper into my brain, I fall to my knees and grip them hard...

Images flash through my head as my sight begins to go fuzzy and strange. My family, my allies, Tobee... Everything whirls around me, replacing my surroundings in the labyrinth as I shriek out my agony to the skies... Perhaps this is how my brother and sister felt when they competed, so many years ago.

I feel a boot on my back as I am forced to the ground, and my face is ground into the dirt. I don't even move to resist, even as more pressure is exerted onto my spine. Tears begin to drip from my eyes. I bet Tobee is enjoying this, wherever he is... And the Capitol, too. They're getting all excited now, that I'm dying. One less competitor. And if I have fans, they are gnashing their teeth and groaning... But they'll forget about it in a matter of hours.

And I'll be dead.

Shutting my eyes, I try to block out the pain. Come on, Katara, you don't have to die like this... Don't shame yourself. Show them they don't own you, after all this. You don't want to die just another tool in the Capitol's Games.

Slowly and deliberately, I bring my face up off the ground and stare into where I know a camera is. It blinks out of a little crevice, zooming in on the blood coursing down my face and neck. The pain is making me feel like I'm going to faint, but I do my best to ignore it. My head is spinning wildly, and I feel like I'm about to vomit.

"Burn, you'll burn..." I hiss at the camera, before the pain becomes too much and my head slams down again as I try to block it out. Then, I shriek out again as I feel the knife being pulled from my skull. The pain becomes so colossal that I can barely take it, and my vision begins to blacken as I feel blood pouring down my neck... The disgusting squishing sound tells me that the metal is free of my flesh.

Then, I feel a boot on my flesh and let out one more shriek... A kick to my face makes my mouth fill with blood as several of my teeth are dislodged. Another kick makes the sound of ringing fill my ears until I cannot hear anything at all, even my own frenzied screams... And I begin to black out. The pain is too much, far too much for anyone to handle...

"Burn..." I whisper to myself, as I hear my own cannon booming throughout the arena. Good, now Thorn, Cobain and Matthis have a warning that the plan is going wrong. That's all that matters, now that I have no chance of winning. They must win. "The Capitol will burn..."

_Boom!_

**MATTHIS ELDER, DISTRICT 3 MALE**

The boom tells us all we need to know. We stare at each other from across the room, eyes full of fear... Cobain lets out a low moaning sound in the pit of his throat. We heard a girls screams and a cannon... Katara is dead. James... that bastard... he got her. I feel tears beginning to glass up in my eyes and I swallow, gripping onto the wire harder than necessary.

I look wretchedly at the skies of the cannon, as tears begin to dribble down my cheeks. My friend... my friend is dead and never coming back. Katara.

Thorn, Cobain and I gather together on the island; now the slaughterfish are gone, it's safe to wade through part of the water surrounding it. We're safer there, since James still thinks there are deadly fish in the moat. Maybe Cobain can snipe him if the electricity doesn't work... But I'm set on it. An arrow might not kill him. An electric shock would almost instantly stop his heart.

However, Cobain raises his bow anyway. Both exits are covered, as Thorn has both axes pointed at one, ready to throw if needs be... This is it. He's somewhere in the labyrinth near us, now, skulking around in the darkness, ready to kill us... Well he's not going to. I won't let him kill another one of my friends... But then again, it might even be easier. I don't know how I'd be able to kill Thorn or Cobain.

"Good luck, guys." Thorn says in a quiet voice, and Cobain and I both nod and repeat it back to her and each other. We'll need all the luck we can get, since there's only three of us left now. Technically only two, since I'd stand no chance at all against James.

We hear him coming before we see him. Great, loud footfalls coming from the left tunnel. Heart beating faster and faster we all face it... And then, he comes bursting out of there, his weapons held high and his face ablaze with fury and hatred. He lets out a loud war-cry and comes sprinting towards us... I clutch my wire in one hand, hard enough to make my knuckles turn white. Oh my God... Oh my God... If there's anyone out there, please. Please get me out of this. I don't want to die.

**COBAIN RENARD, DISTRICT 8 MALE**

James comes sprinting towards us, his weapons held high and his face contorted with rage... His lip is curled back in a snarl, and his face is bright red. Raising my bow, I realise that my hands are shaking. But I point it at him nevertheless, and I loose an arrow in his direction. He bats it aside with his kukri and continues running, and I step forwards, shooting again. This arrow hits his shoulder and he shrieks in pain, before tearing it out and continuing. He's like an enraged bull: nothing will stop him.

Withdrawing a sword from my belt, I run forwards to take him, quickly followed by Thorn. Matthis stays put, shaking but ready. Glancing back at him, I wink once, before driving myself forwards towards James with a scream. He blocks my sword with one of his kukri, and brings the other swishing round to attack Thorn who dodges it and brings in a blow with her axe.

He meets it with one hand, and there is the terrible clang of clashing steel as the kukri meets the axe. Thorn lets out a scream of frustration and swings round, but he dodges it and kicks her in the stomach. She's not trained at all, so does not dodge quite in time. With an oof she falls backwards to the ground, before springing quickly to her feet.

However, she does not manage it quite in time.

One of James' kukri sinks into her chest before she can do anything apart from gasp. He pulls it out quickly, before stabbing her once more in the throat to make sure she dies.

_Boom!_

**JAMES AMMOLITE, DISTRICT 2 MALE**

Running-Boy lets out a scream of rage as my blade sinks deep into the girl from 11's throat, and her cannon echoes around the cavern. There is a look of shock on her face as the light slowly fades from her dark eyes, and I can't help but savour it. Didn't expect to die, did she now? Poor little angel.

Then, feel the handle of a sword smashing into the back of my head, and I am thrown to the floor. I lie there for a few moments, dazed, before rolling to my left. Running-Boy's sword sinks into the stone, shattering on impact. Wow...

With another scream of fury, he takes a knife from his belt and throws it at my head, but I dodge again. Fury filling my heart, I drop my kukri and throw myself towards him, tackling him to the ground. He rolls over, and begins to crawl towards the moat as quickly as he can. The boy from 3 is standing there, a look of stoicism on his face. He is holding a wire in one hand... What's he going to use that for?

"When I say!" Running-Boy yells at the boy from 3, who nods. He is shivering. Once I've killed fucking Running-Boy, I'll torture him slowly to death for the Capitol's entertainment. I've got this thing in the bag! One injured, emotionally unstable boy, and a shivering little weakling... Like taking sweets from a baby.

Running after him, I grab him by the throat and begin to smash his head against the stones. We're right by the moat, now, and the stones here are slightly wet... Blood begins to dribble out of his mouth as I bash his head again and again against the stone floor. Why isn't the boy from 3 doing anything? What's going on?!

"Matthis! Connect the wires! I'm doing this!" Running-Boy screams at the top of his lungs, and he grabs me by the shoulders. I struggle, trying to get him off me, but he holds fast onto me. Let go, damn you! And what the fuck is he talking about?!

"NO! Cobain, you'll kill yourself too!" the boy from 3 screams, and I can hear him running towards us. What the hell?! But Cobain has me firmly by the shoulders and isn't letting go, as he begins to squirm towards the moat... Then, it comes together in my head. They've... they've electrocuted the moat! I begin to struggle as Cobain and I get closer and closer to the deadly water, struggling for my life now. But he will not let go!

"Connect the wires! Connect them! Connect the fucking wires, damn you!" Cobain screams at the top of his lungs, as he throws us into the water. We fall into the moat with a huge splash, and water goes everywhere. The boy from 3 jumps backwards to avoid getting splashed, and I spot the wires in the water... All he has to do is connect the other end and we're both dead! What does he think he's doing?!

Cobain holds us both firmly under water, gritting his teeth and doing so. There's a look of mixed terror and fury on his face as he does so, and he shuts his eyes... But I keep fighting. I will not die.

"Cobain! Cobain, I'm so sorry!" I hear the boy from 3 shout... Then, I start to scream. Pain fills every pore of me as I feel electricity beginning to course through my veins.

**COBAIN RENARD, DISTRICT 8 MALE**

James and I both begin to scream as one, floating up onto the surface of the water. This hurts more than I could ever imagine, and it's in every part of me. My heart is beating faster and faster, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to breathe. There is electricity coursing through every part of me, destroying me.

Matthis is kneeling by the edge of the water, staring at both of us in horror as we twitch and scream, the water conducting even more electricity into the water.

"Cobain! Cobain!" he continues to shout, and I can see tears in his eyes as he does so... The world is going blacker and blacker as I feel death beginning to take me over... Thorn... She'll be dead too, and we can be together. We're free, now, free. I wish we could have been alive for it though.

Father... daddy... I'm sorry. I didn't want to make you disappointed, I swear. I tried! I tried my hardest, and this was the right thing to do... wasn't it? It was the right thing to do! It was! I can almost see him there, shaking his head at me...

Then, the words of my song come into my mind. The song my mother used to sing to me when I was a baby.

"_I waited by your bedside, and didn't close my eyes all night, I named you like a prayer... It's anybody's guess how the angel of doubt came down and crept into your bed... And after we danced to the shipping forecast, the words escaped your mouth... I know it's got to stop, love, but I don't know how..."_

Thorn. That song is for Thorn, every damned word of it. If there's an after life, I'll sing her the whole song. But... but I'm scared. I'm so scared... I keep gripping onto James and holding him here, because it's the right thing to do. I won't let that murderer win. It hurts so much...

"_We're wise beyond our years but we're good at bad ideas, my love, or so it seems to be... Shine a little light, don't rustle in the night, don't think about the future. I know it's gotta stop, love, but I don't know how..." _

James' cannon booms first. I feel him go limp in my arms as it goes off, and I feel a little satisfaction... I've done it... I've done it...

_Boom!_

I've done it... I've done it...

My last sight is Matthis staring down at me, tears in his eyes. And then everything goes black.

_I know it's got to stop, love, but I don't... know how..._

Boom!

**MATTHIS ELDER, DISTRICT 3 MALE**

I stare down at the two bodies still floating in the moat with numb eyes. Cobain... my friend... He's dead. Thorn is dead, Katara is dead, Koyeju is dead... They're all dead. I killed Cobain. He told me too, he sacrificed himself, but I still killed him... He sang as he died. I don't think he quite realised he was doing it.

The song. The song he always sings.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! May I present to you, the Victor of the 63rd Annual Hunger Games... Matthis Elder, from District 3!"

Then, as I stand alone amongst the dead, the most amazing thing happens. The roof of the cavern lifts off, and sunlight beams down onto me, so bright that it blinds me... It's the first sunlight that I've seen in so long and I shy away from it. It's so bright... How did I not notice how beautiful the sky was before? So blue, so perfect... The sun shining it's yellow rays down on us...

They're all up there. My allies, my friends, most of my fellow tributes... It's over. I've survived. I'm alive.

As a hovercraft comes down, I can barely even believe it. I'm not out of the arena, it just can't be true. This can't all be over. Any moment now, the Capitol will tell me it's all a joke and half a dozen crazed tributes will run out at me, weapons raised high. I'm not... I'm not the Victor. How is it even possible?

A ladder comes down from the hovercraft, and I just stare at it for a few seconds. How can I leave this place, where my friends now lie dead? Glancing back, I stare at where Cobain is lying face down in the water, his hair splayed out around him. James has floated away, and is face up... his eyes are wide open, the milky white orbs bleeding red.

Then, slowly as I can, I put both hands on the ladder and find myself glued into place by some strange current as I am lifted up into the air. I'm shaking. As soon as I am in the hovercraft and the door shuts behind me, I sink to my knees and begin to shiver. A Capitol attendant places a bowl in front of me, and I am promptly sick into it. A few of them make disgusted noises, taking the bowl away and disposing of it...

It's all a blur.

But as I sit there in the hovercraft, and they try and coax food and water into me, I realise one thing.

Life is very pretty.

**XXXXX**

**Last arena chapter... The next chapter, which is already up, is Matthis' story. The rest of his life, summarised, basically, and his part in what happens in the 74th and Rebellion... Well, I got teary writing that. Here is a list of positions. **

**In 1st Place... Matthis Elder, District 3 Male...**

**In 2nd Place... Cobain Renard, District 8 Male...**

**In 3rd Place... James Ammolite, District 2 Male...**

**In 4th Place... Thorn Azalea, District 11 Female...**

**In 5th Place... Katara Winslow, District 7 Female...**

**In 6th Place... Alia, District 12 Female...**

**In 7th Place... Emmeline Oliver, District 1 Female...**

**In 8th Place... Damascus Sleik, District 1 Male...**

**In 9th Place... Phlox Astridei, District 3 Female...**

**In 10th Place... Jerry Oldfield, District 11 Male...**

**In 11th Place... Sceptor Whishart, District 10 Male...**

**In 12th Place... Julia Wreve, District 5 Female...**

**In 13th Place... Norelle Wilkner, District 2 Female... **

**In 14th Place... Cora Cooper, District 6 Female...**

**In 15th Place... Tom Maren, District 4 Male...**

**In 16th Place... William, District 12 Male...**

**In 17th Place... Margareth Alice Walcox, District 8 Female...**

**In 18th Place... Scarlett Coppercroft, District 4 Female...**

**In 19th Place... Chiffon Cloud, District 9 Female...**

**In 20th Place... Riley Davis, District 5 Male...**

**In 21st Place... Koyeju Situ, District 7 Male...**

**In 22nd Place... Eva Lash, District 10 Female...**

**In 23rd Place... Sam Xavier, District 9 Male...**

**In 24th Place... Zero Hobbes, District 6 Male...**

**Check out the final chapter now, with details of my next SYOT too... You know you want to...**


	32. A Victors Tale

**Final chapter! Then I start my next SYOT... Will put up the story once I'm done with this chapter. The song The Ghost of You is rather appropriate for this chapter.**

**MATTHIS ELDER, DISTRICT 3 MALE**

The final interview... I am not looking forward to this. I have to watch the Games all over again, watch all of the deaths, all of my friends dying all over again... How will the crowd react if I cover my face? I miss them so much. Cobain, Thorn, Katara... even Koyeju, who I only knew for a couple of short days.

Flicking my lighter on and off in one hand, as has become my nervous habit, I wait to go onstage. My prep team, district escort, stylist and mentor have to go on first, so I've got quite a wait. Good, I don't want to go up there. I've been informed that I "Was Not the Favourite To Win", because the crowd only likes the good looking, brawny ones. Well, I'm not entirely happy with the crowd either, so I guess we're even.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please put your hands together for... Matthis Elder, your newest Victor!" The applause is almost deafening, and I slam my hands over my ears. Ever since I left the labyrinth, my senses have all been in overload. I make to walk on, but an attendant snatches the lighter out of my hand. I turn around to grab it back, but the attendant- a slim woman with blue tattoos covering her face and neck- shakes her head at me.

"Safety hazard." she mouths, before I am shoved onstage. The crowd are still applauding, and some of them even stand up and scream as I walk towards the seat. I can't smile, so I just do my best not to look too stunned as I go down and sit in the plush blue chair in the centre of the stage, readying myself for my interview. Last time I was on this stage, I was a frightened little boy who thought he was going to die. In a way, I still am.

Caesar Flickerman sits opposite me, smiling widely... The crowd has gone silent. He's looking rather expectantly at me, as if wanting me to say something... What does he think I'm going to say? Good morning, I'm so glad to be here... No...

"What?" I ask, and the crowd erupts with laughter. Caesar rolls his eyes and smiles at me, but I can see that it is strained. Or perhaps that's just the botox. Wow, I think I'm turning into Thorn...

"I said, it's nice to see you alive, Matthis... Or should I say, Sparky?" the crowd laughs again... Somehow, I feel like they're all making fun of me, laughing at me. They are, but... in my paranoid mind, it feels like they hate me. It's my fault Cobain is dead!

"I'm rather glad to be alive." I reply shortly, trying my best not to run off the stage in tears. I'm close to it, and I can feel them pricking at my eyes... But my mentor told me that I must be strong. I cannot start crying onstage, it would destroy the whole idea of "Victors are strong and vicious". But I'm not either of those things.

"I'm sure you are, my boy, I'm sure you are... Now, how did you feel when you were told that you had won the Games? You looked rather shocked."

A picture of me comes up on all of the screens behind us- right after I was announced the victor. There are tear tracks running down my face and I look... insane. Absolutely deranged. There is dried blood all over me, and my eyes are wide with horror... God.

With my hair cleaned and brushed, my body washed and in a neat suit, I look scarily different from the feral lunatic in that labyrinth.

"I was shocked," I say, and the crowd is hushed. They want to know about Cobain. "And I was... as you can probably see... quite upset too."

I quieten. Caesar nods for me to elaborate, and I resist the urge to burst into tears. However, with just a small tremble in my voice, I continue, "Obviously, Cobain, Thorn and Katara had just died and I was pretty down about that..." _Pretty down_? I can't believe these words are coming out of my mouth. All I want to do is scream about how I hate the Capitol, how I wish they'd all burn, how they killed so many innocent children...

_All the wounds that are ever going to scar me. All the ghosts that are never going to catch me. _

The interview goes past without a hitch (or me ranting about the Capitol), and I walk off the second it is done. Finding the woman who took my lighter, I snatch it back and begin to turn it on and off again, more desperately. I wonder how long this new nervous habit is going to last? I hope it doesn't last for too long, or I'd risk burning down my new house in the Victors Village... At home.

I'm going to go home. Finally, I feel a small burst of happiness in my stomach. After all of this, I'm going home. And I'll maybe be able to improve, just maybe. And escape. Have a life, be able to fulfill myself. Get married, have children, live my life...

And I did go home. To my new house in the Victors Village, with all of my family. We never had to worry about poverty, or starving to death... But I had to wait those six months before the Victory Tour. And I dreaded them. So I just sat in my room and made things. Countless alarm clocks, I wrote a couple of books, drew countless pictures... I kept the watch from the arena. Put it on my wall.

The Victory Tour was horrible. District 12 wasn't so bad, because I didn't know either of them and there was no families to stare at me. The brother and sister from 12 didn't have any family, so I just had to face the accusing eyes of people who didn't know them. That wasn't so bad.

District 11 was probably the second most painful, tied with District 7. Although there was no family for Thorn, I had to remember her when I was there. And, as I stared out over the orchards, I wondered what she would have done there. Maybe she thought she would come home. And the boy. His parents, both old and frail looking, as well as a young woman of about his age... His girlfriend.

District 10 and 9 were both pretty bad, with families glaring at me. The girl from 9 didn't have any family, but the others' gave me looks of such hatred and contempt that I wanted to cry. But I was coming up to the very worst district for me to see. District 8.

A mass of factories, with smoggy fumes filling the streets. Sky high tenements, filled with crying children... Cobain came from a family of Victors, though, so he would have grown up with much more than these children... I recognise his father and grandfather. Some people in the crowd begin to scream abuse at me, and have to be dragged away. There is a riot in District 8 on that day. Although I was not supposed to know about it, Beetee told me about it on the way home. Several hundred died.

District 7 was hard because I had to see Katara's family. That was pretty appalling, although they were not looking at me unkindly. They'd seen me cry as she died... The mother even came up and squeezed my hand. Districts 6 and 5 weren't so bad because I didn't know either of the tributes. District 4 was... interesting. The girl from 4's- Scarlett's- older sister began to shriek abuse at me and had to be restrained by her mother.

District 2 and 1 weren't so pleasant either, although I was greeted with stiff applause. Career districts tend to do what the Capitol wants, which wasn't the case in District 4. Then, back to District 3. Home.

**11 YEARS LATER**

The 74th Hunger Games are something special, I think. For the first time since my Games, there is romance involved- the tributes from District 12. From looking at them, I can tell it's fake. It's almost obvious to see. Not like Cobain and Thorn were.

Three tributes in particular spark interest in me. The girls from 2, 5, and 11. Clove, Finch and Rue, they're called. Clove is plotting against the other Careers, scheming against them very slyly... The intelligent ones always interest me. That's why I'm rooting for the girl from 5, who is the smartest.

But when she commits suicide with nightlock, knowing that she stands no chance against the remaining tributes, I can't help but gnash my teeth.

The tributes from 12 win; both of them. It's not supposed to be, and everyone is in uproar about it. It's about then that I hear the first whispers of rebellion from District 13. Beetee tells me about it and I agree to join and help. Together, Beetee and I manage to hack into the Capitol files and change things...

A year later, I am in District 13, helping Beetee hack into Capitol television. And we do it.

The rebels win, and President Paylor from District 8 takes over... District 8. Where Cobain came from. And when I look at her, I see him. He was eighteen during our Hunger Games, eleven years ago... She looks about twenty nine, maybe thirty. Perhaps they knew each other. Perhaps they were friends.

But I'll never know.

I am a grown man now, living in the new Panem. There are no Hunger Games, no Reapings... We are allowed to go between Districts if we wish. Visit the Capitol. The poverty is slowly destroyed, and we are brought into a unity.

I marry and have three children. Live continues. I do not have to live in fear of them getting Reaped, because there is no Reaping any more.

Some would call it boring, now, this existance. No excitement. But to be honest, if anybody said that to me, I'd slap them round the face and call them an idiot. Why would you want to repeat the mess that was the Hunger Games? Foolish. I hope it never happens again. But... but who knows.

I'm just going to enjoy the peace for now.

**THE END.**

**Well... Yeah. End of a journey and all that. I'd just like to thank you all for reading and reviewing, and if you'd like to submit another tribute to my next SYOT, please look on my profile for the new story. It will be up in a matter of... um... minutes.**

**See you all then, and May the Odds be Ever In Your Favour! :D **


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